In May 2023, Wymondley Discount Liquor in Ōtara closed after an application to renew its licence was declined. Ōtara Gambling and Alcohol Action Group and Massey University's SHORE & Whāriki Research Centre surveyed 21 local residents to find out what changed.

The government’s recent NZ$69 million investment in the contestable Flexible Fund, the main funding source for iwi and community housing providers, prioritises social housing and affordable rentals.

Read the article on The Conversation here.

SHORE & Whariki researchers Dr Simon Opit and Dr Linda Madden have examined the approaches schools take to maintaining after-hours community access to school grounds. Open school grounds are increasingly uncommon in Tāmaki Makaurau, particularly in lower-socioeconomic areas, where the majority of schools now restrict after-hours access.

We are offering a fully funded PhD scholarship as part of a New Zealand Royal Society Te Apārangi Rutherford Discovery Fellowship–funded research programme examining cannabis legalisation through the lens of commercial determinants of health.

See full scholarship details here.

The SHORE & Whariki Research Centre has begun a new collaboration with the University of Queensland and the Australian Internet Observatory, investigating the digital advertising people receive when using social media. The first phase is under way in Aotearoa New Zealand and we are working with collaborators in Viet Nam, Philippines, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa to collect data in these countries.

This is our first research update from the Affordable Alternative Housing Tenure Pathways project, investigating participant experiences of affordable housing and progressive home ownership programmes such as rent-to-buy, shared equity and community land trusts.

Read the full update here.

Alcohol policy specialist Prof Sally Casswell says NZ's guidelines underestimate the health risks of drinking. She warns that damage begins at even one drink a day, and criticises the alcohol industry's lobbying influence.

A new study using a large collection of demographic data has revealed the lasting and damaging consequences for children placed in state care between 1950 and 1999 - including huge disparities in life expectancy compared with the general population.

Read the RNZ article here.

This year's edition of the annual New Zealand Drug Trends survey reveals long-term trends in drug availability, price, and use of drugs. Professor Chris Wilkins discusses the findings in a 1 News interview. More detail can be found on the NZ Drug Trends webpage.

According to recently published New Zealand study Exploring the substitution of cannabis for alcohol and other drugs., 60% of cannabis and alcohol users say weed makes them drink less. Associate Professor Chris Wilkins discussed the implications for cannabis legalisation and other findings from the study in an interview with the New Zealand Herald.

Sally Casswell writes that despite this modest drop in consumption, inequity in the damage from alcohol remains. Read more on The Conversation

Professor Chris Wilkins discusses the meth disguised as lollies found in Auckland City Mission food parcels, the shift in where meth in New Zealand is coming from, and the increase in detections of the drug in wastewater testing . Learn more at TVNZ Breakfast