Photo caption:听ARC Director Professor Laurie McLay and ARC Associate Director Professor Ann-Marie Kennedy, both from the 成人大片.
Te Whare W膩nanga o Waitaha | 成人大片 (UC) has established Aotearoa New Zealand鈥檚 first dedicated Autism Research Centre (ARC), bringing together researchers, autistic people, families and partner organisations to shape the future of autism research and practice and enhance the health and wellbeing of autistic children and adults in Aotearoa.
Hosted at UC, the ARC is a cross-institutional collaboration that includes researchers from around the country and is supported by the Autistic Partnership-Aotearoa New 成人大片(AP-NZ). The AP-NZ is an advisory group made up of autistic professionals, parents, advocates and community leaders, and it plays a central role in shaping the ARC鈥檚 research priorities and ensuring their work directly reflects the needs and aspirations of autistic people.
The Centre grew out of strong existing collaborations among autism researchers nationwide. ARC鈥檚 Director, Professor Laurie McLay from UC鈥檚 Faculty of Health, says 鈥渕any of us were already working closely together, but I saw the need for a dedicated platform to strengthen those partnerships, amplify research impact and ensure autistic voices guide every stage of the research process鈥. 听
The Centre鈥檚 first major event will be held on 1 September 2025, with a symposium held on UC鈥檚 Ilam campus. The symposium will bring together speakers from Australia and New Zealand, including researchers from the University of Otago, Victoria University of Wellington, and Auckland University of Technology.
Professor David Trembath, Head of Autism Research at CliniKids, The Kids Research Institute in Australia, will deliver the keynote speech. With more than 25 years as a speech pathologist, he has dedicated his career to improving outcomes for autistic people and their families. His address, 鈥楾his Changes Everything鈥, will explore how the ARC can reshape autism research and enhance its impact.
Professor McLay says, 鈥淭he ARC is about inclusion, reciprocity and respect鈥攔ecognising that research should not be confined to academia but belong to the community it serves鈥.
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