Evaluation of the Whānau Ora Wave Commissioning. Final Impact Report
Project Background
Since Wave 1 in 2016, Ihi Research has independently evaluated each round of TePūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu's Whānau Ora Wave commissioning. This final impact report draws together insights from 18 Waves of direct whānau commissioning and synthesises 15 independent evaluations to document the social and economic value of the funded initiatives over nearly a decade of continuous evaluation.
Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu was formed in 2014 as an iwi-led Whānau Ora commissioning agency representing a partnership of nine South Island iwi. Its Wave commissioning approach was highly participatory and grounded in the premise that whānau already hold the ideas, knowledge, and capability to create their own solutions. Rather than funding traditional service delivery, the model invested directly in whānau-led social enterprise, leadership, and transformation—a devolution approach that transferred significant resourcing and decision-making autonomy from government to Māori.
The report documents the substantial reach and impact of this work: over ten years, Wave commissioning supported 769 initiatives, directly assisting 151,627 whānau and reaching accumulative total of 372,869 wider whānau members across Te Waipounamu, including rural and geographically isolated areas.
Findings highlight the transformative impact of strengths-based approaches, strengthened social and cultural bonds, return on investment, the resurgence of te reo Māori and cultural regeneration, increased resilience (including through COVID-19), and shifting intergenerational trajectories for whānau. It also reflects on the additionality of the enterprise approach, lessons learned about evaluating complex commissioning, and includes case studies of initiatives such as Ariki Creative, Bros forChange, Koha Kai, Fush, and Pōtiki Poi.Following an open procurement process led by Te Puni Kōkiri, Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu was not reappointed and no longer holds the Whānau Ora commissioning contract from July 2025. This report celebrates and documents the significant legacy of whānau self-determination established over more than a decade of leadership in Te Waipounamu.
Leonard, C., Goldsmith, L. & Hynds, A. (2025). Evaluation of the Whānau Ora Wave Commissioning for Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu. Final Impact Report. Ihi Research.
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We’ll work with you to find out what’s working, where investment could be put to best use or how to improve anything not going to plan. We can help you define success and set tangible, measurable goals. And we talk in real language so you can understand and engage with the findings. We engage with the community to conduct community research and consultations for private companies, trusts, government agencies, NGOs and more. But we have a special interest in research that has a purpose - to better society and teach lessons. We aim to help those we work with build capacity to enact positive change.