News

23 May 2023: Free public transport is a great start – but young people won’t give NZ governments a free ride on climate change

Youth in Christchurch told us they “hoped” but “could never imagine that busses would be free” as part of the global CYCLES study we lead with CUSP.  Dr Kate Prendergast and Prof Bronwyn Hayward react to the government’s Budget 2023 announcement of free public transport for children in this article in The Conversation.

10 May 2023: ‘Youth in our cities – How can we support our young people to live well and thrive?’ - Dr Kate Prendergast joins Canterbury researchers in an evening of talks

Dr Prendergast spoke about how cities can support young people to live well and thrive at the event ‘We’re talking Hauora’ hosted by Te Papa Hauora. Her talk identified conditions and opportunities for city councils to support youth wellbeing aspirations in low carbon ways. Watch the full event recording here. 

2 March 2023: The UC Foundation: Hei Puāwaitanga: Research Group for Future generations, Sustainability and Civic Imagination launches

We celebrated the ‘soft’ launch of our research group led by Prof Bronwyn Hayward as a charity under the UC Foundation: Hei Puāwaitanga: Research Group for Future generations, Sustainability and Civic Imagination. The well attended event featured talks by visiting scholar Ana Terra Amorim-Maia, Hei Puāwaitanga Research Associate MahMah Timoteo and Research Manager Dr Kate Prendergast.

Ana Terra Amorim-Maia, a researcher with the Barcelona Urban Lab for Environmental Justice, says Barcelona already provides climate shelters within 10 mins walk to keep citizens cool and aims to have shelters in 5mins walk across all the city by 2030.

MahMah Timoteo talked from her PhD on how NZ Pacific communities are marginalised by initiatives that fail to tackle intersectionality.

Dr Kate Prendergast talked about what we are learning about how cities can support youth wellbeing in low carbon sustainable ways from our CUSP study funded by the ESRC of children growing up in 7 cities.

Find out more about the charity here: https://alumni.canterbury.ac.nz/-hei-puawaitanga

9 November 2021: Film screening and discussion

#YoungLives7Cities: Film Screening and Panel Discussion with award winning filmmaker Amanda Blue and CUSP researchers.

Join us for a very special online screening of our two new short documentaries—together with our #YoungLives7Cities research partners in NZ, ZA and UK. When: 9 Nov, 10pm(NZ), 11am(ZA) and 9am(UK).

This event is online. Register for tickets now on Eventbrite.

21 July 2021: 2021 Research report available now

The Sustainable Development, Citizenship and Civic Imagination Research report 2021 is now available for download.

22 July 2021: Ōtautahi Mataora! - Christchurch Alive!   

Ōtautahi Mataora! - Christchurch Alive! was a free public conference on  youth wellbeing on 22 July 2021 with a film screening and research findings presentation. The three discussion panels are available in full to watch on Youtube at the links below. 
 
Dear Christchurch/Otautahi a SCCI zoom discussion with film producer Amanda Blue and students of Christchurch about a film about growing up in Christchurch funded with CUSP UK and the ESRC: https://youtu.be/aoyajQl8SKY

How to support youth flourishing in cities? – SCCI 2021 panel discussion chaired by Dame Sue Bagshaw with Dr Kate Prendergast, Donna Provoost and Dr M. Mehedi Hasan: https://youtu.be/ntoI9laOgfQ

How income impacts youth wellbeing? A SCCI 2021 Panel Discussion chaired by Josiah Tualamali’i with Dr Sylvia Nissen, Wendy Alabaster and Helen Leahy: https://youtu.be/UReBjvKK6mM

June 2020: CYCLES project research display tours Christchurch libraries

A display about the  CYCLES research project featuring photos children and students took about the sustainability of their everyday lives is currently touring Christchurch libraries. In June and July it is in Riccarton Library.

21 April 2020: Ōtautahi Mataora – Christchurch Living survey

What do you like about do you like about living in Ōtautahi Christchurch? What would you change?

Tell us here! https://otautahimataora.com/

What’s this study about?

How can we live well in cities so young people can flourish but not stress the planet? Research teams in seven cities around the world are exploring this question.

From Christchurch in New Zealand to Delhi (India), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Lambeth (United Kingdom), Makhanda (South Africa), Sao Paulo (Brazil) and Yokohama (Japan), researchers have been asking how young people aged 12-24 years, get around and get away, what kind of energy are they using to heat their homes, have fun, work and study? What are they eating? What do they like about their city and what do they want to change?

Young city residents also took photos of a day in their life, showing the everyday things they do, as habits, for recreation or work so we can think about what it takes to live well with less energy and less stuff.

Now it’s your turn! Are you aged 12-24? Living in Christchurch? We want to hear your views on what you like and would like to change about living in Christchurch Ōtautahi.

Have questions? Please get in touch with kate.prendergast@canterbury.ac.nz

*Ethical approval granted by the University of Canterbury’s Human Ethics Committee

10 April 2020: Ōtautahi Mataora in the news

Dr Kate Prendergast talks with the Christchurch Star about the Ōtautahi Mataora – Christchurch Living survey. https://www.odt.co.nz/star-news/star-christchurch/new-study-captures-what-young-cantabrians-want. Led by Professor Bronwyn Hayward with Dr Kate Prendergast of the Sustainable Citizenship and Civic Imagination Research Group | Hei Puāwaitanga, the Ōtautahi Mataora – Christchurch Living survey is part of the CYCLES (Children and Youth in Cities – Lifestyle Evaluations and Sustainability) study. The Ōtautahi Mataora – Christchurch Living survey and wider CYCLES research is aiming to understand how young people can live well in sustainable ways.

17 October 2019: SCCI researchers respond to UNICEF’s repot on Children, food and nutrition

SCCI researchers Assc Prof Bronwyn Hayward and Dr Kate Prendergast respond to UNICEF’s shocking global report which reveals that at least two out of three children in the world are not fed the minimum of a healthy diverse diet. https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/news/2019/uc-researchers-respond-to-disturbing-children-and-nutrition-global-report.html