Kai&Korero Online Webinar - Evaluating Healthy Families NZ: a reflection on findings, challenges and opportunities
We are pleased to be able to share the recording of this fantastic webinar with you. We would also like to extend our appreciation and gratitude to Anna and Nan for sharing their findings with us.
Ngā mihi maioha.
This presentation reflects upon what has been learned through eight years of evaluation, of this innovative large-scale prevention initiative that has incorporated systems thinking and a place-based approaches to address the underlying conditions that impact the health and wellbeing of whānau and communities.
Healthy Families NZ is an equity-focused community systems-change initiative to prevent chronic health conditions. The initiative is being carried out in 10 place-based communities, to respond to the evidence that says most health is created in the places in which we are born, grow, live, work and age. The initiative was set up in 2014 and currently has funding until 2026. A learning, comparative case study evaluation has been implemented alongside.
Associate Professor Anna Matheson, Te Kura Tātai Hauora - School of Health, Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington.
Anna is Associate Professor in Health Policy at Victoria University of Wellington. Currently she teaches health policy and systems to Bachelor of Health students, and for eight years previously, convened the Master of Public Health at Massey University.
Anna has a background in public health with a focus on health inequality and the social determinants of health. She has a particular interest the relationship between policy systems and communities, and the application of systems thinking and complexity theory to social change. She is a Principal Investigator with Te Pūnaha Matatini - the Aotearoa New Zealand Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE) in complex systems. And for eight years has been leading the evaluation of Healthy Families NZ - a policy-initiated but community-led system change initiative aimed at improving health and wellbeing in 11 place-based communities around Aotearoa New Zealand.
Nan Wehipeihana, Director of the Kinnetic Group Research Evaluation Consultancy Limited, Ngāti Tukorehe, Ngāti Porou and Te Whānau-ā-Apanui.
Nan Wehipeihana is passionate about protecting, evidencing and growing the space to be Māori in Aotearoa. Nan specialises in evaluation with a focus on Māori – whānau, hapū, iwi, and Māori organisations and communities.
Nan’s practice is characterised by the use of Kaupapa Māori, tikanga Māori and developmental evaluation. Nan has an unerring focus on outcomes for Māori. By bringing the voices of Māori to government and funders and a critical analysis perspective, she offers insight into what works for Māori and what needs to change.
Nan has more than 25 years experience in designing, leading and managing evaluations. She builds teams tailored to the programme, kaupapa and community contexts. She has an extensive track record in policy and programme evaluation, the use of mixed methods and applying systems thinking. She supports individuals, teams and organisations to build their evaluation capacity, providing mentoring and bespoke training in evaluation specific tools and methodologies. She supports organisations to commission and implement their evaluation and to report their findings.
Nan is an internationally leading Māori evaluator. In 2021 she was inducted as a Fellow of the Australian Evaluation Society and has twice been awarded the Australasian Evaluation Society Policy and Systems Award (2013 and 2000). She has keynoted on Kaupapa Māori and Indigenous Evaluation in Canada (2018), New Zealand (2015), Australia (2014), South Africa (2011) and Germany (2011). With Michael Quinn Patton and Kate McKegg, Nan co-edited Developmental evaluation exemplars: Principles in practice (2015).
