
Co-parenting arrangements fall through cracks - researcher
From It Takes A Village by RNZ
May 26, 2026 · 17 min · Episode 396
About this episode
Kate Prickett discusses the shortcomings of New Zealand's data systems in tracking co-parenting arrangements and their impact on family well-being.
A leading researcher says New Zealand's official data systems fail to track the realities of co-parenting and shared care arrangements. Often unseen because they are not counted in the Census, these shared care arrangements are happening in one-in-five households, according to Motu Research's senior fellow Kate Prickett. Parents getting less informal support from the other parent for things like clothing, food and transport among others had higher rates of anxiety and depression. Kate Prickett says the research shows families with shared care exist in a middle ground between the sole parents, and the two parent home. And policy frameworks are often not flexible to their complexity. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
People in this episode
Guest: Kate Prickett
Topics covered
- co-parenting
- shared care
- mental health
- family dynamics
- policy frameworks
Keywords
- co-parenting
- shared care
- New Zealand
- mental health
- anxiety
- depression
- family support
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Motu Research
Places: New Zealand
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