WAATEA digital | 9 February 2026
A Tairāwhiti-based GP and researcher is challenging the way prediabetes and early type-2 diabetes are managed – shifting the focus from compliance to confidence, and from instructions to understanding.
Dr Tim Salmond, a General Practitioner and PhD researcher, is leading a three-year trial exploring how continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) can help people recognise what actually affects their blood sugar in everyday life – and use that knowledge to take control early.
Rather than relying solely on clinic visits or generic advice, the research puts real-time information directly into people’s hands.
Continuous glucose monitors track blood sugar levels throughout the day and night, allowing participants to clearly see how different behaviours affect them in real time. Dr Salmond says that visibility is key to building genuine autonomy.
CGM changes that by making cause and effect obvious. A particular meal, a stressful workday, or poor sleep can all be seen reflected immediately in glucose levels.
Dr Salmond describes his approach as “confronting, but what works” – a balance between honesty and support.
“For some people, seeing the data can be confronting at first,” he says. “But avoiding the truth hasn’t helped anyone long-term.”
The key, he says, is pairing challenge with encouragement. Participants are supported to interpret their data without shame, and to focus on small, realistic changes rather than perfection.
“This isn’t about blame,” he says. “It’s about understanding. Once people realise they can influence their numbers, that’s where empowerment starts.”
A central strength of the study is how closely it reflects people’s lived realities. Rather than controlled environments or idealised behaviour, participants continue with their normal routines – work, whānau commitments, stress, and all.
By linking health information to everyday experience, the research aims to make change feel relevant and achievable – not overwhelming or disconnected.
The trial runs for around three years, allowing researchers to track not just short-term improvements, but lasting behaviour change.
Dr Salmond says the long-term goal isn’t just better glucose numbers – it’s confidence.
He hopes participants will develop habits around food, movement, and stress that feel sustainable – and a sense of control that carries well beyond the study.