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Call for Proposals – ANZEA Conference 2026

Evaluation’s future pathways – innovation, integrity, and intelligence in
practice

We invite proposals for ANZEA Conference 2026, to be held 3–5 August 2026 at Chateau on the Park, a DoubleTree by Hilton, in Ōtautahi Christchurch, Te Waipounamu.

ANZEA 2026 marks 20 years of ANZEA and looks ahead to evaluation’s future in Aotearoa New Zealand and across Oceania.

Our theme is:
Evaluation’s future pathways – innovation, integrity, and intelligence in practice.
At the heart of ANZEA 2026 is a simple idea: evaluation’s future will be shaped less by the tools we use, and more by the kind of humans we choose to be as evaluators.

We’re interested in how we strengthen the distinctly human parts of evaluation –  judgement, ethics, relationships, creativity, storytelling – in a world where AI, digital tools, and new expectations are changing the context of our work.

We welcome contributions from experienced and emerging evaluators, commissioners, community partners, researchers, and others who work with evaluation.

The three “I”s: innovation, integrity, intelligence

Our theme weaves together three intertwined “I”s:
Innovation

Experimenting with new approaches, roles, and tools (including AI) in ways that respond to real-world complexity and community priorities, not just trends. We’re curious about creative formats, new kinds of evaluator roles, and smart uses of technology that support better relationships, equity, and usefulness.

Integrity

Holding fast to evaluation ethics, mana-enhancing practice, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and cultural responsiveness as the ground we stand on. We want to surface real stories of navigating dilemmas, power dynamics, resourcing challenges, and political pressures while staying true to our values.

Intelligence

Valuing human insight, wisdom, and sense-making. This includes reading context, navigating power, building trust, and weaving findings into stories that move people to action – alongside analytical craft, methods, and data interpretation in a complex, data-rich world.

Streams

You can align your proposal with one or more of the following streams. These are guides, not boxes – it’s fine if your work spans multiple areas.

Innovation in service of people and place

  • New methods, formats, roles, and tools (including AI) that are improving how evaluation serves communities and decision-making.

  • Practical, ethical, and economic opportunities and risks of AI in evaluation.

  • Integrating evaluation with agile/continuous improvement, assurance functions, and organisational learning.

  • Innovative approaches to commissioning, co-design, or partnership.

Integrity: ethics, mana, and Te Tiriti in practice

  • Treaty-honouring, kaupapa Māori, and Pacific evaluation in a digital/AI-rich world.

  • How evaluators work with values, criteria, and assumptions – including when these may unintentionally reinforce inequity.

  • Practical pathways for ethics in evaluation (e.g. AREC/IHREC changes, organisational ethics processes).

  • Being good allies in culturally grounded evaluation, including frameworks such as the Equitable Evaluation Framework™ and awa whiria/braided rivers approaches.

Intelligence: methods, craft, and human sense-making in a data-rich world

  • Core methods and analytical craft – quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods (e.g. thematic analysis, outcome frameworks, contribution analysis, systems and complexity approaches, SROI/CBA, agent-based models).

  • Making sense of messy or overwhelming data; what good evaluative judgement looks like in your context.

  • Storytelling, meaning-making, and the “human touch” in evaluation – how we turn findings into insight and action.

  • Evaluation beyond recommendations – embedding change, supporting implementation, and learning over time.

Emerging voices, emerging pathways

  • Sessions led or co-led by new and emerging evaluators (roughly 0–5 years’ experience, or new to the field).

  • Career pathways, switching sectors, and building confidence and networks.

  • What emerging evaluators are seeing, questioning, or changing about evaluation practice.

  • Support, supervision, and communities of practice that help evaluators grow.

Place-based intelligence: Ōtautahi, Te Waipounamu, and Oceania

  • How place – whenua, awa, histories, and relationships – shapes what “good evaluation” looks like.

  • Evaluations rooted in Ōtautahi and Te Waipounamu, and what they can teach others.

  • Place-based and Indigenous evaluation across Aotearoa and Oceania, including Māori, Pacific, and other Indigenous approaches.

  • Awa whiria/braided rivers and other ways of weaving together different worldviews and knowledge systems.

Formats

To simplify things while still offering variety, we’ve grouped sessions into four main formats. Within each, there’s room for different styles.

Short talks (5–10 minutes)

Short, focused talks sharing one powerful idea, question, or practice story in 5–10 minutes.
This format includes:

  • Ignite or PechaKucha-style talks

  • Lightning talks

  • “Show-and-tell” contributions (one thing you tried and what you learned)

Ideal if you want to share something punchy without leading a longer session.

Interactive sessions (45–60 minutes)

Interactive sessions built around kōrero, talanoa, and shared sense-making. They may include:

  • Panels with strong audience participation

  • Hosted kōrero circles on big questions (e.g. “What is the uniquely human role in evaluation?”)

  • Expert/topic hubs or other dialogic formats

Best suited to exploring big issues, multiple perspectives, and live questions together.

Workshops / wānanga (90–120 minutes)

Hands-on sessions for skill-building, co-design, or joint problem-solving. For example:

  • Practical “how-to” clinics on methods (e.g. qualitative analysis, systems and complexity approaches, SROI/CBA)

  • AI sandbox-style sessions using evaluation-relevant examples

  • Co-designing tools, frameworks, or strategies with participants

  • Deep dives into particular frameworks or approaches

Ideal if you want participants to try something, practise a skill, or work on a problem together.

Posters / visual & digital exhibits

Visual or digital contributions displayed during the conference, such as:

  • Posters

  • Visual stories or maps

  • Arts-based evaluation work

  • Interactive digital exhibits

A great option if your work lends itself to visualisation or if you want to spark ongoing conversation across the conference.

Programme design – what to expect

Our programme will be practitioner focused and flexible approaches will be included.
In addition to sessions from the call for proposals, we are hoping to offer:

  • Hosted kōrero circles on big questions (e.g. “What is the uniquely human role in evaluation?”).

  • Opportunities to safely try AI tools in a hands-on “AI sandbox” using evaluation-relevant examples.

  • Creative and arts-based sessions (e.g. visual methods, storytelling).

  • A quiet reflection/writing space to work on your own evaluations between sessions.

  • Structured and informal networking and social opportunities, including Ōtautahi-hosted activities.

We’ll design the programme to balance depth, interaction, and breathing space. Not every session needs to cover everything – it’s fine to focus on one key question, skill, or story.

What to include in your proposal

In the online submission form, we’ll ask for:

1. Presenter details

  • Name(s)

  • Role(s) and organisation(s)

  • Email for the main contact

  • Location (city/region/country)

  • Whether any presenters identify as new/emerging evaluators

  • Any accessibility needs we should be aware of

2. Session details

  • Proposed title

  • Preferred format

    • Short talk (5–10 minutes)

    • Interactive session (45–60 minutes)

    • Workshop / wānanga (90–120 minutes)

    • Poster / visual & digital exhibit

  • Stream(s) you’d like to align with (select one or more)

    • Innovation in service of people and place

    • Integrity: ethics, mana, and Te Tiriti in practice

    • Intelligence: methods, craft, and human sense-making in a data-rich world

    • Emerging voices, emerging pathways

    • Place-based intelligence: Ōtautahi, Te Waipounamu, and Oceania

  • Abstract (200–300 words) covering:

    • The core question, story, or insight you’re sharing

    • How it connects to the conference theme and one or more of the three “I”s

    • Who is involved (e.g. communities, partners, emerging evaluators, commissioners)

    • How you will engage participants (especially for interactive sessions and workshops)

  • Any other information you’d like us to know (optional), for example:

    • If your session could work in more than one format or stream

    • If you’d like guidance on format/stream fit

    • If you’re interested in being paired with a co-presenter or facilitator

You do not need a fully “finished” project – we welcome practice stories, reflections, and work still in progress.

Key dates:

  • Proposals due: 25th April 2026

  • Notification of acceptance: Week beginning 11th May

  • Early bird registrations open NOW - get your Super Early Bird deal

Interested but not sure what fits?

If you’re interested in contributing but aren’t sure which format or stream is right for you, you can still complete the form and let us know under “Any other information”, or contact us at conference@anzea.org.nz. We’re happy to talk through options.

Submit Your Proposal

Submit your proposal

We warmly encourage proposals from across Aotearoa and Oceania, from experienced and emerging evaluators alike, and from Māori, Pacific, and other Indigenous evaluators and communities.

Ngā mihi nui,
ANZEA Conference 2026 Team