Arthritis New Zealand uses its research funding programme to achieve the following key objectives:

1. To contribute to the body of research that seeks to determine the cause of arthritis, prevention of arthritis, improvement of early diagnosis and treatment of all forms of arthritis.

2. To contribute to the growing body of research that documents and describes the impact of arthritis on the individual, the community, and the wider New Zealand society.

3. To contribute to international research on arthritis through assisting New Zealand participation in international research projects and/or through a contribution to the body of research on gout arthritis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus/SLE, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and other forms of arthritis.

4. To evaluate specific programmes or treatments to ascertain effectiveness and improvement in the quality of life for people with arthritis.

Arthritis New Zealand has developed a proactive and translational research programme that includes clinical, social and economic research. Significantly, this ensures that our organisation has a robust evidence-base to inform the development and delivery of our programmes, services and awareness.

Our five strategic initiatives for the period 2021 to 2023 are as follows:

1. We will develop an External Research Grants programme that is targeted towards our research objectives.

2. We will work towards co-funding research opportunities with other organisations working in the non-communicable diseases and long-term conditions arena (i.e. with “partner” organisations).

3. We will promote the participation of Māori and Pacific peoples in arthritis research (especially gout arthritis).

4. We want to engage the consumer more in research projects and related activities.

5. We will further encourage social and community-based research relating to arthritis.