Part 4: Māori Language Strategy monitoring and evaluation by Te Puni Kōkiri

4.1
In this part, we:

• provide a summary of the Strategy’s requirements for monitoring the health of the Māori language and evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of the Government’s Māori language activities; and
• present our findings on the extent to which TPK (as the lead agency responsible for Māori Language Strategy monitoring and evaluation) has fulfilled those requirements.

Māori Language Strategy requirements

4.2
The Strategy directs TPK to monitor the health of the Māori language to assess progress made towards the 25-year outcomes of the Strategy.

4.3
The Strategy also states that TPK will evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the Government’s Māori language activities to ensure value for money.

Our findings

Monitoring the health of the Māori language

4.4
TPK has conducted or contracted two types of survey − surveys of the health of the Māori language (in 2001 and 2006) and surveys of attitudes to the Māori language (the results of the third survey of attitudes were published in 2006). TPK plans to repeat the survey of the health of the Māori language every five years, and the survey of attitudes every three years.

4.5
These surveys meet our expectations for monitoring the health of the Māori language.

4.6
The 2006 Survey on the Health of the Māori Language,¹ published in July 2007, shows significant increases in the number of Māori adults who can speak, read, write, and understand the Māori language. It also indicates progress in reestablishing natural transmission of the language to the next generation, as more Māori adults are speaking in Māori to children in their homes and communities.

Evaluation of the effectiveness and efficiency of the Government’s Māori language activities

4.7
TPK’s draft Strategy implementation plan describes a monitoring and evaluation framework that included evaluations for each Strategy area of responsibility in 2005/06 and 2006/07, using lead agency plans as the basis for the evaluations. These evaluations were to be used to create an overall evaluation of the effectiveness of Māori language policies and programmes.

4.8
TPK has not yet evaluated the effectiveness and efficiency of the Government’s Māori language activities using the framework of evaluations outlined in TPK’s draft Strategy implementation plan. This is, in part, because Strategy planning by lead agencies had not progressed far enough to provide a basis to assess progress in each area by 2005/06, when the initial evaluations were scheduled to begin.

4.9
However, TPK has carried out broader research and policy assessment across various areas related to Māori language. For example, TPK has conducted an inventory of Māori language services provided by public entities, and done policy work about Māori language – for example, in-house research into focus areas for Māori language revitalisation, such as Māori language education, broadcasting, and whānau language development. TPK considers that this work, combined with the surveys on health of the Māori language and on attitudes to the Māori language, will allow it to complete the overall evaluation of New Zealand-wide effectiveness of Māori language policies and programmes planned for 2007/08. This evaluation will inform the 2008/09 review of the Strategy.

4.10
In our view, the activities carried out so far by TPK do not constitute systematic evaluations of the effectiveness of the Māori language activities carried out by the government agencies. We note that TPK’s general approach to evaluating other agencies’ activities has changed since 2003, moving towards ongoing monitoring rather than evaluations of past activities. Given this change, the evaluation framework set out in TPK’s implementation plan may no longer be appropriate. The 2008/09 review of the Strategy should clarify the nature of TPK’s evaluation role and how TPK will carry it out.

1: Research New Zealand (2007), 2006 Survey on the Health of the Māori Language, Te Puni Kōkiri, Wellington.

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