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Every country has its own COVID-19 pandemic story; similarly, every family has their own experiences of lockdowns, isolation, illness, death, struggles, and resiliency related to the pandemic. Although myriad narratives appear about these familial and societal experiences, few explore those of mothers of disabled children; these have been largely invisible, and as a result, this minority group and their needs have failed to be addressed by those who make decisions and plan for public health crises and for the subsequent recovery.Autoethnography, a qualitative method that coalesces personal experience and research literature to advance sociological understanding, underpins this exploration. The authors are New Zealand/Aotearoa mothers of disabled children. Our approach employs autoethnographic reflection about our pandemic experiences to create mean-ing, forge identities, and explore power structures. Connections of our family stories enable the creation of an understanding of what has happened in our communities.The authors’ reflections on their pandemic experiences are woven together with stories of how governments, schools, public health organizations, disability organizations, healthcare providers and communities directed us and responded to or failed to address our needs. We have identified five interwoven themes throughout our stories: anxiety, invisibility, devalued lives, coping, and advocacy. Together, as an outcome of the autoethnographic study of our pandemic experiences, we offer ideas for survival to pass on to mothers for future disasters and crises. Furthermore, we have developed recommendations for organizations and others living with disability.

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Introduction: Hospitalization of children is traumatic for children and their families. Little is known about the impact of repeated acute admissions on families, or of these experiences in Indigenous populations and ethnic minorities. This study explores the societal and health experiences for families who have a child under two years of age, admitted to hospitals more than twice for lower respiratory infections. Methods: Underpinned by a reflective lifeworld research methodology, this article presents results from 14 in-depth interviews in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Results: Families learn to identify illness early and then navigate hospital systems. These families struggle to create safe spaces for their children at home or in society. Wider social and economic support are central to family resilience, without which they struggle. Conclusion: This study reinforces the importance of bringing meaningful, culturally-responsive care to the fore of treatment, particularly when managing vulnerable minorities. Formal referral and support processes are key to this responsiveness to lessen the burdens of acute admissions for families. Patient or Public Contribution: Families chose to be involved in this study to highlight the importance of the topic and their experiences with accessing health care. The cultural advisors to the project provided feedback on the analysis and its applicability for the participant community.

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The objective of this research was to explore social connectedness and associations with self-perceived health amongst older adults in New Zealand at a population level. The data for this analysis were derived from the 2016 Health and Lifestyle Survey, a nationally representative survey administered via face-to-face interviews. The findings from this analysis of 1,374 respondents, all of whom were over the age of 55 years, highlight that being female, belonging to older age groups (above 70 years), being employed full-time or part-time, connecting online with known people, considering cultural connections to be important and not feeling isolated from others are significantly and positively associated with positive self-perceived health. The findings underscore the resilience potential of older adults and importance of social connectedness for positive health and well-being. In addition, the findings reveal target areas that would benefit by intervention and support by health professionals and policy makers.

Additional file 1. Interview schedule

Objective: The Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 came into force to promote the safe and responsible sale, supply, and consumption of alcohol in New Zealand. The Act was intended to minimise harm caused by excessive consumption of alcohol and reduce exposure to alcohol promotion. This study assessed supermarket adherence to sections 112–114 of the Act related to the display and advertisement of alcohol. It also assessed consumer exposure to alcohol marketing in these businesses. Methods: This paper reports on an audit of nine supermarkets in a major New Zealand city. Results: Supermarkets exhibited high average adherence with the Act (86% adherence across audit fields); despite this, exposure to alcohol displays, promotions and advertisements remained an issue regardless of supermarket geographic location, size or chain affiliation. Conclusions: Supermarkets are an increasingly popular source of off-licence alcohol sales. Exposure to alcohol marketing in these businesses will likely influence consumer purchasing behaviour. Implications for public health: As an important public health challenge, based on this study, it would appear that supermarkets mostly meet the provisions of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012, but not the intent. Additional work is required to strengthen their response to the Act.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to lay out how advanced practitioner development occurs in New Zealand primary health care settings. The paper specifically focuses on mechanisms occurring across policy creation and in practice leading to successful role development. Design/methodology/approach: The authors applied a realist approach involving interviews, document review and field log observations to create refined theories explaining how successful development occurs. Findings: Three final mechanisms were found to influence successful advanced practitioner role development: engagement in planning and integrating roles; establishing opportunities as part of a well-defined career pathway; and championing role uptake and work to full scopes of practice. Research limitations/implications: This research focuses on one snapshot in time only; it illustrates the importance of actively managing health workforce change. Future investigations should involve the continued and systematic evaluation of advanced practitioner development. Practical implications: The successful development of advanced practitioner roles in a complex system necessitates recognising how to trigger mechanisms occurring at times well beyond their introduction. Social implications: Potential candidates for new roles should expect roadblocks in their development journey. Successfully situating these roles into practice through having a sustainable and stable workforce supply provides patients with access to a wider range of services. Originality/value: This is the first time a realist evaluation has been undertaken, in New Zealand, of similar programmes operating across multiple sites. The paper brings insights into the process of developing new health programmes within an already established system.