PhD (Population Health) thesis, University of Auckland

Co-design has become increasingly common in the public sector. This thesis aimed to develop a kaupapa Māori evaluation framework to evaluate co-design, and, more broadly, to contribute to the knowledge and practice of kaupapa Māori evaluation of co-design projects with and as Māori. The research lays a foundation of what good co-design looks like for Māori, and provides practical tools
to effectively evaluate our participation in co-design from a Māori perspective. A kaupapa Māori methodological approach was used, in particular, applying a participatory approach with a Māori health organisation to support the development of the framework. Informed by literature reviews, interviews and hui with Māori evaluation and health leaders, my research
identified features and principles that were important for undertaking evaluation and co-design as Māori. When evaluating co-design providing a Te Tiriti o Waitangi critique in practice means balancing power and resources, appraising partnerships with the Crown and its agencies, ensuring
approaches are Māori-led and addressing epistemological racism within evaluation. A Māori view of co-design is grounded in our traditional knowle dge space and is seen as a natural (collective) way of working as Māori, taking a sustainable and generational perspective. This research presents a kaupapa Māori evaluation framework to evaluate co-design as a transformative method for Māori to enact self-determination. The various kaupapa Māori evaluation
tools informed by and using collaborative, reflective and kōrero approaches are presented as a “tukutuku”, a Māori design metaphor that combines our reflective whakaaro and tells an evaluative story of co-design in the form of pūrākau/kōrero paki. The framework helps to fill a gap in the evaluation arena for culturally embedded evaluation. In this way it attempts to collectively harness our own knowledge systems, our mātauranga, and taonga tuku iho and build on this through new applications of methodologies, methods and frameworks. Thus, creating the space for more meaningful evaluation as Māori, in order to support the development and hauora of our people. (Author's abstract). Record #8079
The research was conducted in three phases: Phase One involved interviews with Māori people working in Māori roles in Government organisations delivering social policy outcomes. It was found that Government workers implement Māori principles in four identified ways: creating supportive environments, responding to community needs, keeping themselves linked into the Māori community and following Māori processes.

Phase Two involved interviews with Māori workers employed by Māori health and social service providers. These projects looked at the distinctiveness of their sites, along with the strengths, tools, principles, values and processes that underpinned their approaches. The main difference between Government and NGO workers is that, because they are already part of the community, they don’t need to make that extra effort to engage.

Phase Three involved interviews with experienced Māori Social Workers about how a particular principle, whakawhanaungatanga, was implemented and the ethical dilemmas that could arise. Experienced Māori social workers were found to use a number of guiding principles and processes to protect themselves and their clients when choosing to cross traditional social work boundaries. The boundaries crossed were usually perceived as organisational rather than ethical. The processes for using whakawhanaungatanga included the worker having a clearly identified role and recognised the importance of negotiation, supervision and accountability. The role of tikanga was stressed as was the need for a process similar to poroporoaki.

Other findings of the research include a model for analysing Māori development and Māori organisations. Also a framework is suggested to avoid Kaupapa Māori deteriorating into either a culturally appropriate Critical Theory response or as Graham Smith warned, a domesticated Culturalist expression. (Author's abstract). Record #8077