Project: Kia Puāwai
Tāmaki Makaurau was the location for the latest Aotearoa New Zealand Evaluation Association (ANZEA) biennial conference held from 4-7 November 2024. The conference theme, The Mana Enhancing Role of Evaluation: Celebrating the wisdom from evaluative practice across Oceania, brought together a range of evaluators from around the motu and across Te Moana nui-a-Kiwa. From emerging evaluators to experienced practitioners, the conference staged diverse offerings and localised wisdom from across the Pacific, and provided a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
Kiri’s presentation titled Hoki ki te ūkaipō: connecting to whenua tīpuna for hauora shared the inspirational story of her whānau connecting to whenua tīpuna (ancestral lands) in Waikanae for enhanced hauora. The presentation showcased how whānau have reclaimed ancestral lands through the creation of a collective whānau movement and the development of an aspirational intergenerational plan for future generations: their moemoeā. The images used in the presentation revealed their whānau love for their whenua and their devotion to their tīpuna. Kiri spoke to the interwoven and reciprocal aspects of caring for Papatūānuku through applying contemporary expressions of ūkaipō.
The broader study investigates how whānau are applying kaupapa tuku iho, the values of their ancestors, as they care for whenua. These expressions are being seen in a number of tangible ways including planning and responding to changing weather patterns, planting and tending to their māra kai by the maramataka, and increasing the native plant species on the whenua to support the flight corridor of native manu between Kāpiti Island and the mainland. Kiri’s doctoral study with Massey University’s School of Māori Knowledge is supported by a doctoral scholarship from the Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC), and is hosted by Whakauae, sitting within the Kia Puāwai research programme. Kiri is in the third year of her PhD and expects to submit her thesis in the first half of 2025.
The ANZEA gathering provided a range of important insights such as a reminder from our Fijian whanaunga that sometimes the important information we need to understand sits within the silent spaces when words aren’t shared. This point can be transferable across many Pacific cultures, highlighting the importance of working with those who live within communities when undertaking evaluation. Whakauae Research has traditionally had a presence at ANZEA conferences, including the 2022 conference which hosted Dr Amohia Boulton as a keynote speaker.
The 2024 conference included opportunities for a group of Mā Te Rae Māori Evaluation Association members to gather over break times and kōrero about issues of concern to them. Mā Te Rae members shared experiences and discussed opportunities to support each other, particularly given the impacts being experienced following a reduction in government-commissioned evaluation mahi.
The ANZEA conference provided a great range of strengths-based strategies and approaches from across Oceania, and many in attendance spoke of their gratitude for the opportunity to gather, share and reflect on the wisdom conveyed.
Author: Kiri Parata, November 2024
Project: Kia Puāwai
Tāmaki Makaurau was the location for the latest Aotearoa New Zealand Evaluation Association (ANZEA) biennial conference held from 4-7 November 2024. The conference theme, The Mana Enhancing Role of Evaluation: Celebrating the wisdom from evaluative practice across Oceania, brought together a range of evaluators from around the motu and across Te Moana nui-a-Kiwa. From emerging evaluators to experienced practitioners, the conference staged diverse offerings and localised wisdom from across the Pacific, and provided a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
Kiri’s presentation titled Hoki ki te ūkaipō: connecting to whenua tīpuna for hauora shared the inspirational story of her whānau connecting to whenua tīpuna (ancestral lands) in Waikanae for enhanced hauora. The presentation showcased how whānau have reclaimed ancestral lands through the creation of a collective whānau movement and the development of an aspirational intergenerational plan for future generations: their moemoeā. The images used in the presentation revealed their whānau love for their whenua and their devotion to their tīpuna. Kiri spoke to the interwoven and reciprocal aspects of caring for Papatūānuku through applying contemporary expressions of ūkaipō.
The broader study investigates how whānau are applying kaupapa tuku iho, the values of their ancestors, as they care for whenua. These expressions are being seen in a number of tangible ways including planning and responding to changing weather patterns, planting and tending to their māra kai by the maramataka, and increasing the native plant species on the whenua to support the flight corridor of native manu between Kāpiti Island and the mainland. Kiri’s doctoral study with Massey University’s School of Māori Knowledge is supported by a doctoral scholarship from the Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC), and is hosted by Whakauae, sitting within the Kia Puāwai research programme. Kiri is in the third year of her PhD and expects to submit her thesis in the first half of 2025.
The ANZEA gathering provided a range of important insights such as a reminder from our Fijian whanaunga that sometimes the important information we need to understand sits within the silent spaces when words aren’t shared. This point can be transferable across many Pacific cultures, highlighting the importance of working with those who live within communities when undertaking evaluation. Whakauae Research has traditionally had a presence at ANZEA conferences, including the 2022 conference which hosted Dr Amohia Boulton as a keynote speaker.
The 2024 conference included opportunities for a group of Mā Te Rae Māori Evaluation Association members to gather over break times and kōrero about issues of concern to them. Mā Te Rae members shared experiences and discussed opportunities to support each other, particularly given the impacts being experienced following a reduction in government-commissioned evaluation mahi.
The ANZEA conference provided a great range of strengths-based strategies and approaches from across Oceania, and many in attendance spoke of their gratitude for the opportunity to gather, share and reflect on the wisdom conveyed.
Author: Kiri Parata, November 2024
