Objective To examine whether the prevalence of age- and sex-adjusted BMI at, or above, the 85th, 95th and 99.7th percentiles continues to decline in New Zealand preschool children, over time. Methods As part of a national screening programme, 438,972 New Zealand 4-year-old children had their height and weight measured between 2011 and 2019. Age- and sex-adjusted BMI was calculated using WHO Growth Standards and the prevalence of children at, or above, the 85th, 95th, and 99.7th percentiles and at, or below, the 2nd percentile were determined. Log-binomial models were used to estimate linear time trends of ≥85th, ≥95th and ≥99.7th percentiles for the overall sample and separately by sex, deprivation, ethnicity and urban-rural classification. Results The percentage of children at, or above, the 85th, 95th and 99.7th percentile reduced by 4.9% [95% CI: 4.1%, 5.7%], 3.5% [95% CI: 2.9%, 4.1%], and 0.9% [95% CI: 0.7%, 1.2%], respectively, between ‘2011/12’ and ‘2018/19’. There was evidence of a decreasing linear trend (risk reduction, per year) for the percentage of children ≥85th (risk ratio (RR): 0.980 [95% CI: 0.978, 0.982]), ≥95th (RR: 0.966 [95% CI: 0.962, 0.969]) and ≥99.7th (RR: 0.957 [95% CI: 0.950, 0.964]) percentiles. Downward trends were also evident across all socioeconomic indicators (sex, ethnicity, deprivation, and urban-rural classification), for each of the BMI thresholds. Larger absolute decreases were evident for children residing in the most deprived compared with the least deprived areas, at each BMI threshold. There appeared to be no consistent trend for the percentage of children ≤2nd percentile. Conclusions Reassuringly, continued declines of children with age- and sex-adjusted BMI at, or above, the 85th, 95th and 99.7th percentiles are occurring over time, overall and across all sociodemographic indicators, with little evidence for consistent trends in the prevalence of children at, or below, the 2nd percentile.

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Using the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI) to investigate or research various social, cultural, health, or other related outcomes is appealing and has a lot of potential. The IDI offers sufficient numbers for researchers to investigate outcomes in Pacific communities to a level of detail not available in many studies. Additionally, it allows organisations to upload their own data to supplement measures in the IDI. The overall aim of this paper is discuss the appropriate values for research projects involving Pacific communities using IDI data; issues around ownership of data from Pacific communities; consent; identification; and other ethical considerations. Although the IDI has a great deal of potential for Pacific health research, many findings based on research using IDI data have been recognised as deficit-framed and polarising for the communities they describe. Some would argue that such findings highlight discrepancies in health or social equity and point to deficiencies that should be the responsibility of governmental organisations. Most analyses stop short of investigating practical pathways for communities to find solutions that are sympathetic to the values or established infrastructure of those communities. Instead, most communities found themselves characterised by deficit and feeling solely responsible for their poor situation. This paper proposes an extension to the Tivaivai/Tivaevae research framework and shows how it incorporates values that should be reflected in Pacific research using IDI data. With applications in a range of disciplines, the Tivaivai framework, like many Pacific research models, has been applied to quantitative or small mixed-methods projects, and usually restricted to Cook Islands research. This paper shows its usefulness can be applied to a strictly quantitative research framework, making it sympathetic to wider Pacific values as well as consistent with other familiar Pacific research frameworks. These concepts will be incorporated into a research project for an HRC funded Post-doctoral study investigating the value of education to health outcomes for Pacific families. It is hoped that this paper may provide a starting point for other quantitative Pacific research projects involving administrative or other big data.

Culinary arts education has remained largely unchanged for more than a century. Since the time of Auguste Escoffier, students have been taught French classical cookery using a master-apprentice model of education that began in the Middle Ages. While the vocational apprenticeship has been replaced in some instances by education delivered by public and private institutes, rote learning from a master continues. Contrast this with the fast pace of modern cookery and an outpouring of culinary innovation not seen in at least 150 years and you have an education system that simply cannot keep up. This article discusses the current culinary arts education system in New Zealand and identifies several forces that are highlighting the need for change. Food media’s popularizing of culinary design provides both inspiration and aspiration for those wanting to learn culinary arts. Meanwhile, the New Zealand Government promotes design through its technology curriculum and lauds design-led business and creative industries as the way of the future. Surrounding this is a growing global awareness of the challenges that we face in providing safe, sustainable and ethical food to an increasing population. The article concludes by briefly outlining how Otago Polytechnic’s Bachelor of Culinary Arts is attempting a paradigm shift that has N. Cross’ ‘designerly thinking’ at its core.

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