http://www.pragmatica.nz/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.pragmatica.nz en-us Mon, 13 Apr 2026 07:01:18 +1200 Rocketspark http://www.pragmatica.nz/blog/post/157902/matamoana-a-bold-new-approach-to-pacific-education-in-aotearoa-new-zealand/ Inspired by the courage and wisdom of Pacific navigation, Matamoana charts a course for empowering Pacific families and communities to support their children’s learning.This milestone reflects years of collaboration, research, and innovation. At its heart, Matamoana shows how government agencies can share power with Pacific communities, privilege Pacific values, and create culturally safe spaces where identity, language, and culture thrive.The document is built on a body of evidence with Pacif... Tue, 10 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.pragmatica.nz/blog/#post157902 http://www.pragmatica.nz/blog/post/160169/why-participation-matters/ Active and creative engagement is widely recognised as essential for physical and mental health. Yet, true participation goes beyond showing up - it’s about creating meaningful experiences.Our work with communities and organisations shows that when programmes connect people to their culture and identity, they unlock deeper wellbeing outcomes.Recent insights from the Participate Funding Area Review for Rātā Foundation* undertaken by Pragmatica reinforce what our experience has shown: when pro... Tue, 09 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.pragmatica.nz/blog/#post160169 http://www.pragmatica.nz/blog/post/157944/why-making-strong-evaluative-judgments-matters/ Effective evaluation is more than ticking boxes - it’s about making informed, transparent decisions that balance context, evidence, and values.Strong evaluative judgement is the key to assessing impact and value with confidence.Whether you work in government, business, or the community sector, robust evaluative thinking helps you:Understand what success really looks likeWeigh evidence and values to make fair decisionsCommunicate your reasoning clearly to stakeholdersDo you want to make better ... Wed, 19 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.pragmatica.nz/blog/#post157944 http://www.pragmatica.nz/blog/post/157941/making-a-positive-difference-to-the-environment/ New Zealand recovers less waste for reuse compared to many other countries. This is mainly because the country does not have enough local facilities to process waste efficiently, which limits the ability to extract more value from waste and increases dependence on landfills.To address this issue, New Zealand’s Waste Minimisation Fund and Contaminated Sites and Vulnerable Landfill Fund are driving sustainability through seed funding, partnerships, and kaitiakitanga.The Ministry for the Environm... Fri, 05 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.pragmatica.nz/blog/#post157941 http://www.pragmatica.nz/blog/post/145129/sensemaking-in-turbulent-times/ Are you feeling confused and overwhelmed by the daily headlines and seismic changes occurring in our world?  In their recent London School of Economics blog post "Sensemaking in Turbulent Times", Irene Guijt and Judy Oakden address the challenges change-makers face amidst global uncertainty. They introduce a structured approach to collective reflection, emphasising five guiding questions designed to foster clarity, nuance, and collaboration.The sensemaking methodology used by Guijt and Oakd... Fri, 09 May 2025 09:01:21 +1200 http://www.pragmatica.nz/blog/#post145129 http://www.pragmatica.nz/blog/post/142826/election-access-fund-act-reviewed/ The Ministry of Justice | Tāhū o te Ture commissioned Pragmatica to undertake an external process evaluation of the Election Access Fund Act 2020 and Election Access Fund. The Election Access Fund Act 2020 supports disabled people to participate as candidates in general elections. The evaluation reviewed the operation and effectiveness of the Act and Fund, as required by section 10 of the Act.Originating as a private member’s Bill from Mojo Mathers, the Election Access Fund Act 2020 passed w... Mon, 10 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.pragmatica.nz/blog/#post142826 http://www.pragmatica.nz/blog/post/142827/a-catalyst-for-positive-change-in-the-farming-sector/ Thriving Southland promotes and inspires positive change in the farming sectors.Pragmatica was recently commissioned to review and analyse the degree of support Thriving Southland has provided Southland Catchment Groups. We found that Thriving Southland’s backbone support has created a foundation for sustainable progress.Our report highlights the positive impact of Thriving Southland on farmers and the environment. Thriving Southland has helped farmers build their ability to drive change, impr... Thu, 14 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.pragmatica.nz/blog/#post142827 http://www.pragmatica.nz/blog/post/115482/focussed-evaluation-skills-development-helps-do-more-with-less/ Public sector agencies and NGOs have new challenges to show how effective their programmes are. These organizations must show who benefits from their programmes and in what context. Where an evaluation has yet to be done, resource constraints mean teams may need fast methods to collect data, analyse it, and draw evaluative conclusions.Judy Oakden, the Director of Pragmatica, has developed a workshop suitable for public sector agencies and NGOs to help programme teams draw findings from the data ... Tue, 12 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.pragmatica.nz/blog/#post115482 http://www.pragmatica.nz/blog/post/113496/inspiring-farm-community-led-environmental-action/ Many New Zealand farmers are keen to understand better the environmental challenges they are experiencing on their farms and be able to respond to them. Supported by Thriving Southland through the Change and Innovation Project, many Southland farmers are highly engaged in accessing and interpreting new, relevant science and making the necessary changes to support thriving farming businesses.Pragmatica recently prepared a further case study on the work of Thriving Southland highlighting the ongoi... Thu, 07 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.pragmatica.nz/blog/#post113496 http://www.pragmatica.nz/blog/post/110536/growing-evaluation-capability-through-mentoring/ Pragmatica Director Judy Oakden has recently started leading a 2023-2024 mentoring group focussing on complexity in evaluation as part of the mentoring programme for Australian Evaluation Society (AES) members.  The AES Group Mentoring Program is an innovative online mentoring programme in which seasoned evaluators guide small groups of emerging and mid-career evaluators through their professional journey. The mentoring program is offered to members of the Australian Evaluation Society... Thu, 21 Sep 2023 16:53:10 +1200 http://www.pragmatica.nz/blog/#post110536