The Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) has awarded a postgraduate research scholarship to a rural health practitioner investigating how geographic and demographic factors influence injury outcomes across New Zealand, with a focus on rural and Māori communities.
Merope Griffin (pictured), a general practice registrar and master’s student at the University of Otago, is one of six recipients of ACC’s 2024 postgraduate research funding.
Her study seeks to identify how rurality, deprivation, and ethnicity correlate with injury-related mortality among people under 65, using five years of national mortality data.
Griffin is conducting the research while working in a rural general practice in Oxford, a North Canterbury town serving agricultural communities. She said her clinical experience has highlighted the disproportionate effects of injury in remote areas.
“Working rurally, I often see people negatively impacted by accidents and injuries, with loss of quality of life, as well as income,” she said. “This has served as motivation for this project. I hope doing this research will identify particular areas of risk and therefore eventually help to develop targeted interventions.”
Her project is part of a broader programme within the University of Otago’s Department of General Practice and Rural Health.
The research aligns with ACC’s broader strategic objectives to support injury prevention and recovery, particularly among high-risk and underserved populations. It also complements ACC’s broader work in rural safety, including a strategic partnership with industry group Safer Farms. That initiative involves a five-year, $11 million investment to implement the “Farm Without Harm” strategy, which seeks to reduce workplace injuries and fatalities in the agricultural sector.
ACC has provided scholarship funding between $7,500 and $15,000 to six postgraduate students whose studies address its current research focus areas. Other recipients represent institutions including Massey University, Auckland University of Technology, and Victoria University of Wellington.
Andy Milne, ACC’s deputy chief executive of strategy, engagement, and prevention, said the scholarship programme plays a key role in generating insights that can support more effective injury prevention and recovery services.
“We’re committed to addressing complex challenges and understanding emerging trends in injury prevention and sustained recovery,” he said. “The ACC postgraduate scholarship is a fantastic opportunity to fill gaps in our knowledge about these challenges and trends. The findings will inform operational and investment decisions and actions.”
