Background: To improve our understanding of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in New Zealand, a multi-disciplinary research network, Minds for Minds, was created. This network has established a cohort of self-and proxy-reported individuals and their family members with ASD in New Zealand. The aim of this manuscript is to present the New Zealand Minds for Minds Autism Spectrum Disorder Self-Reported Cohort, M4M cohort for short, and to provide preliminary insights into the trends of ASD in New Zealand through the analysis of diagnostic and sociodemographic information of 972 members (ages 2-83) of this cohort, the majority of which were carer-reported. Method: The participants were recruited via an internet-based questionnaire, and social network analysis was used to visually analyse the mutual interactions of the cohort. Results: We observed the well-reported gender bias and an ethnic structure that reflects New Zealand's most recent census. Comorbidity patterns were consistent with epidemiological literature: anxiety disorders, depression and epilepsy were highly prevalent amongst individuals with ASD and their families. Conclusions: This is the first national large-scale ASD research cohort, which contains an ethnic composition unique to the country. It is anticipated that the multi-disciplinary research approach of this cohort will help inform health policies in New Zealand and contribute to the international effort to better understand ASD. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.