Our projects
Inspiring, leading and supporting the sector in research and development is the role of Te Pou's research programme.
In the past, research has tended to be seen as something remote from the day to day business of planning and delivering services - something exclusively for university-based experts, not for frontline health workers. But Te Pou will take a different approach; while we acknowledge the importance of research initiated by academic researchers, Te Pou is charged with creating a culture of enquiry within the mental health sector, where all people are interested in research and best practice and how these can be used to improve services and enable individual and organisational learning.
The programme places emphasis on the value of applied research, where what is done by frontline health workers makes a positive difference for service users. Therefore, the programme's projects and other activities will endeavour to engage and commit all relevant stakeholders - service users and their supporters, service providers, managers, funders and administrators, as well as members of the established research community.
Research such as this cannot be done in isolation, and Te Pou will be seeking to form strong partnerships with academic institutions in the evolution of its research programme. Te Pou acknowledges the support and collegiality it has already received from many in the academic community.
The research programme's broad objective is to improve links between innovation, research, service and organisational development, organisational learning and workforce development - making research an integrating strategy that is everybody's business.
National Manager Jane Vanderpyl is leading a team of skilled researchers. Te Pou is committed to atttracting people with the right skills and qualifications to be able to address issues across the sector, including those pertaining to Maori and Pacific peoples. The research programme is also committed to working in consultation with the mental health sector (clinical and academic).
In February 2007, Te Pou ran a series of regional engagement forums, which provided the opportunity for consultation, information dissemination and network building.
Meet the research team
Research and development is about organised curiosity characterised by a systemic approach to the asking and answering of questions
Communication is key to any project's success, so we will keep you updated on these projects through this page - or you can sign up to our fortnightly e-bulletin, which will notify you of any major developments
Page last updated: 26 May 2009