The New Zealand Productivity Commission has a program of work investigating the drivers of persistent disadvantage within people’s lifetimes and across generations. In November 2021 the Commission hosted a webinar: 'Why the first 1,000 days matter,' that considered the importance of focusing on the early years in breaking the cycle of intergenerational disadvantage.
The panel included CEI Executive Director Dr Robyn Mildon, Sir Peter Gluckman of the International Science Council, Prof. Mark Hanson of the University of Southampton and advisor to WHO and the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health initiative, and Prof. Richie Poulton of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health & Research Unit.
The panel spoke about the latest evidence, interventions, and implications for public policy affecting young children. They shared the science on why it was economically sensible to develop robust policies that recognise the importance of helping all children develop optimal executive functions and discussed how this can be achieved. Robyn discussed the challenges of implementing good programmes and public policies to address intergenerational disadvantage.
A recording is available here.