THE MANA ENHANCING ROLE OF EVALUATION: 

Celebrating the wisdom from evaluative practice across Oceania

Evaluation is a form of knowledge generation, and also a way to share and honour knowledge. We also know that knowledge is power, and in that capacity, has a critical role in building and enhancing mana; the mana of people, of places, and also our profession. 

We are privileged to live in a country and region where diverse ways of knowing, being, and doing is acknowledged and increasingly celebrated. By extension our evaluations and practices have an important role to play in nurturing and strengthening this diversity and mana; a role that involves honouring different worldviews and practices for use and impact.

Our conference theme was inspired – with permission - by Dr Apisalome Movono and Professor Regina Scheyvens book ‘Mana of the Pacific – wisdom from across Oceania’. This captured the ways in which traditional knowledge and culture helped communities who were typically reliant upon tourism, to navigate the uncertainty brought about by the pandemic.

To read more about this book read this review, or purchase a copy from the publisher here.