Solasta led two key public value studies to support legal reform in Aotearoa. The research collaboration included the Law Commission and the University of Otago, with Solasta as lead researcher (questionnaire design, fieldwork, analysis and reporting, and project coordinator).

The first study identified the need for reform of the Property Relationships Act (PRA) (summary here). This study asked the question ‘does the PRA still reflect society’s values and attitudes as to what is fair when couples separate?’’.

The second study asked the question ‘how do New Zealanders think a person’s property should be dealt with when they die?’’ (results here). These studies covered sensitive topics and involved:

An understanding of how to translate complex legal topics into everyday language.

Survey design with family-research academics, legal experts and user testing with members of the public.

Mobile and landline telephone surveying with 1350 respondents nationwide, including a spread of ethnicities (boosted sample sizes of Asian, Pacific and Māori populations).

Peer-reviewed reports which directly influenced Law Commission recommendations.

Solasta led the design of high profile system performance measurement frameworks for the Review of Vocational Education and NZTA/Waka Kotahi. At Waka Kotaki, Solasta brought new ways of thinking about defining outcome measures, visualising results and generating insights about performance. This involved capturing diverging needs across a range of stakeholders in the transport sector. This, along with technical knowledge about evidence sources, is one of Solasta’s specialties.

This paper , co-developed with Abley Consulting, highlights some new thinking about measuring transport accessibility outcomes. This conference presentation [which won the ‘best presentation award’ at the 2022 Transport Knowledge Conference], describes using novel datasets (mobile phone locations and tax data) to quantify access to jobs - and identify which commutes are ‘car dependent’.

The Education Review Office (ERO) commissioned Solasta to develop new surveys of children, teachers, parents and whānau about the performance of the education system in Aotearoa (Education Now). This involved:

Identifying tried and tested question items from education-research literature.

Aligning survey questions with ERO’s education outcome indicators.

User-testing with teachers, parents, and students.

Guidance on sampling, survey methodology, and analytics.

Automated school level reporting (visually engaging commentary, tables and charts to provide each school with a customised report).

The Education Review Office (ERO) wanted to upskill their research and evaluation team so they commissioned Solasta to develop and deliver a tailored a two-day training course on survey methodology. The course included New Zealand case-studies, international best-practice, and practical exercises to reinforce learning.

The Health Promotion Agency/Te Hiringa Hauora (HPA) commissioned Solasta to scope an ongoing vaping and cigarette-use monitoring survey to provide robust and representative data about vaping and cigarette-use behaviour among the general population (aged 16+), young people (aged 16-24), young Māori females (aged 16-34), and young Māori males (aged 16-34). Solasta worked with the cessation policy community to identify core requirements and potential question topics. Solasta also recommended three data collection methodology solutions and a proposed sample-design.

Inland Revenue commissioned Solasta to provide technical advice on quantifying the costs of tax compliance among businesses in New Zealand. Solasta provided guidance on applying power allocation formulas for optimal sampling and advice on analytics and weighting. A collaborative approach also ensured modification of the user-interface to deliver a smooth and stress-free experience for businesses completing the survey.

Inland Revenue then hired Solasta to act as a research-mentor to Inland Revenue’s Insights Team to improve the design of customer surveys and lift end-user engagement in the team’s research products.

Solasta has been commissioned by the Ministry of Justice to lead a national survey which measures the prevalence of the experience of civil legal problems among New Zealanders. This is a high-quality nationally representative survey which involves:

Extensive cognitive testing, live-trial pilots, and questionnaire refinement.

Surveying 5,000 New Zealanders using randomised mobile and landline interviews.

Ensuring minimum numbers of Māori, Pacific, rural, and disabled respondents.

Surveying 1,000 small businesses (including a spread by industry and size-band).

Analysing and reporting the results includes multivariate regression determining problem clusters and identifying the main predictors of legal need. The analysis spells out the implications for the targeting of civil justice services in New Zealand.

Solasta were commissioned by the Ministry of Justice to undertake an evaluation of the New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey (NZCVS). The main purpose of the evaluation was to assess the current state of the NZCVS and provide workable recommendations about how it could be improved. The evaluation involved qualitative research with end-users and stakeholders, a statistical review, case-studies and desk-based research (including a review of victimisation surveys overseas). A summary of the evaluation can be found here - https://www.justice.govt.nz/justice-sector-policy/research-data/nzcvs/evaluation-of-the-nzcvs/

Solasta led a tracking study involving 1,000 parents and caregivers per quarter. We worked with the Ministry of Education to design, test, and deliver research which was a central source of insights about whānau for staff across the Ministry. Regular reports identified trends, key issues and personas (created through statistical segmentation). This is a foundational monitor which generated Ministry-wide customer and reputational insights.

Solasta was commissioned by the Ministry of Education to test and refine the Student Wellbeing Measures survey. The project involved extensive cognitive testing (100 in-depth interviews with school students across New Zealand) followed by a live-trial involving 2,000 students. The findings helped ensure that the survey is robust and reflects the voice of students.