Media Releases

Selected articles

9th March 2010
Mobile phone users trapped by off-net price discrimination

12 February 2009
South Auckland Health Education Campaign hits target -
Let's Beat Diabetes Programme

Wednesday Dec 31, 2008
Kiwis more accepting of mental health sufferers -
New Zealand Herald

9th March 2010
Mobile phone users trapped by off-net price discrimination

Student case studies show high same network mobile traffic. Mobile phone users are trapped by off-network price disscrimination.

Dashboard slides prepared by Phoenix Research from results of surveys of students - used in submission by 2degrees Mobile to the Commerce Commission, 8th March 2010.

Communications Day headline: "Why New Zealand's mobile market is a case of two regional monopolies." An article published in the Australian Communications Day online subscription magazine - Monday 15 March 2010 (reprinted by permission).

12 February 2009
South Auckland Health Education Campaign hits target -
Let's Beat Diabetes Programme

Monitoring results released this month for the first stage of the Let’s Beat Diabetes Health Information Campaign show incredibly positive results for all of the diverse target groups.

Maaori, Pacific, South Asian, ‘At Risk’ and people from areas of high deprivation all attained recall results of approximately 80% and this was even across genders for the Diabetes campaign results.

Relevance for the Let’s Beat Diabetes messages was also particularly high for Maaori, South Asian, high deprivation and at risk groups.

The Let’s Beat Diabetes campaign which ran from October to December 2008 included advertising on billboards, bus shelters, local and ethnic papers, radio. It has also been supported by news releases, editorial and presence at community events, project launches, prime time news coverage.

According to Allan Wylie, Director of Social Research for Phoenix Research Ltd says that the campaign has elicited extremely good results and with recall response rates comparable to high profile televised campaigns such as Like Minds, Like Mine.

Results indicate that the campaign has been particularly successful in influencing all target groups to make behavioural changes towards healthy lifestyle choices.

Dr Wylie suggests that the formidable results will come about not only from the campaign itself but will have been strongly influenced by the ongoing action at community level and other related healthy eating and healthy action campaigns.

Unlike any previous campaign, these results show clearly that the community have made the connection between eating healthily and preventing Type 2 Diabetes. Responses show strong intentions to make positive behaviour change and these intentions for change are indicative for all the key target groups.

One of the aims of the campaign is to bring Type 2 Diabetes into everyday conversations so that community know about the condition, can make informed healthy choices to prevent/delay and/or manage Diabetes within their families and community and assist in spreading the message. Campaign results show good levels of discussion are being generated with up to 63% of people discussing the campaign advertising at least once after they had seen or heard it. This outcome is also comparable to high profile televised campaigns.

Overall the results reflect the greater community awareness of Type 2 Diabetes as a community problem and that good levels of intentions to change are matched with a very receptive climate for accepting and undertaken of change behaviours within all target and ‘at risk’ groups.

Wednesday 31 December 2008
Kiwis more accepting of mental health sufferers -
New Zealand Herald

More New Zealanders feel they could be supportive of someone with a mental illness, according to research issued yesterday.

The research, conducted periodically on behalf of the Ministry of Health's Like Minds, Like Mine programme by Phoenix Research, has tracked changes in New Zealanders' attitudes to mental illness since 1997.

Significant improvements had been made over the past decade, but the Mental Health Foundation was particularly pleased that 71 per cent of people in the latest survey reported that they knew how they could be supportive of someone experiencing mental illness, an increase of 10 per cent over the last survey in 2007.

"The Like Minds campaign is focused on reminding New Zealanders that what you do makes the difference," said Judi Clements, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation.

"One third of people in the survey noted positive changes in their behaviour toward people experiencing mental illness over the last five years."

Progress was also being made in busting some of the long-held and damaging myths about mental illness.

Now 4 per cent fewer people in the current Like Minds survey held the belief that once someone gots a mental illness they were always unwell.

"Everyone's experience of mental illness is unique," Ms Clements said.

"Many people on the recovery journey are able to live well - raising families, holding down jobs, and participating fully in society despite the obstacles they face."

The survey also showed improved attitudes toward people with experience of schizophrenia, one of the most stigmatised and stereotyped mental illnesses. The percentage of people who would accept someone with experience of schizophrenia as a babysitter for their child increased significantly from 15 to 21 per cent.

"It's really great to see the message of acceptance, equality and non-discrimination sinking in at every level," Ms Clements said.

"People with experience of schizophrenia often bear the greatest burden of negative stereotypes about mental illness, and we hope that much further progress can be made in this area."