Tū Pono: Te Mana Kaha ō te Whānau
Project Background
Tū Pono: Te Mana Kaha ō te Whānau (Tū Pono), is a flax roots Te Waipounamu movement to effect change so that whānau can live healthy lives free of violence. The strategy was developed to support the work of whānau, hapū, iwi and kaupapa Māori entities to improve their knowledge and application of safe, effective, whānau-centred and evidence-based strategies. The purpose of this evaluation was twofold.
Firstly, to present the development of Tū Pono: Te Mana Kaha ō te Whānau since it was first seeded as an idea in 2015, and secondly to evaluate the impact of the approach for whānau and investigate opportunities for continuous improvement.
What we did
Data for this evaluation was collected through document/monitoring data review and interviews with Tū Pono Connectors and whānau. Interviews were conducted with Connectors, whānau and stakeholders. The interviews followed four lines of impact inquiry as negotiated with Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu. Monitoring data held by Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu was analysed to support the qualitative findings from the interviews. This data was drawn from the July 2020-July 2021 and July 2021-July 2022 reporting years.
Outcome
The evidence from an evaluation of Tū Pono: Te Mana Kaha ō te Whānau demonstrates Tū Pono is having an impact for whānau; that a strategy of hope, prevention and strength is evident; that Tū Pono is meeting the primary objective of ensuring whānau could access the support they were entitled to in a way that is appropriate for each individual whānau. However, significant under-resourcing has created a number of limitations to ongoing success. Professional development and training have been insufficient to maintain a skilled and competent workforce. The lack of dedicated resource has created uncertainty across the Tū Pono Connectors; operational coordination has also suffered due to the difficulty in obtaining comprehensive investment in the approach.
Find out how we can help you
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.
