Statement of purpose

Background

Overview

• Principles and areas
  • Contracting
  • Ethics
  • Pacific Peoples
  • Maori
    • Respect
    • Integrity
    • Responsiveness
    • Competency
    • Reciprocity

Context

Launch of Good Practice guidelines quality research workshop

Acknowledgements

Applying the Principle of Reciprocity to research and evaluation involving Māori

To ensure their relationships with Māori participants are reciprocal, officials should:

• Assess the value of reciprocity through the eyes of the recipient and what makes a positive difference for participants, both individual and communities, over and above the provision of research/evaluation reports, and may include:
  • Community capacity building (e.g. training of participants, development and gifting of tools or resources), 
  • Facilitating/brokering access to resources (people, knowledge, networks),
  • Assistance with social and economic development.
• Be aware that sometimes government programmes (including research and evaluation) result in financial benefits for those implementing the programme and/or undertaking the research. When financial benefits accrue from government projects (including research and evaluation) it is important that these be shared equitably with whānau, hapū, iwi and/or Māori stakeholders.
• Ensure that Whānau, hapū, iwi and Māori organisations are given the opportunity to:
  • understand the implications, immediate and future, personal and community, of participating in a project, and
  • change their minds about participating.
• Reciprocity is about the mutual sharing of knowledge and expertise.

"As a formative evaluator working primarily with community action projects, I experience reciprocity in what I think is a unique way. While I am not 'invited', but rather 'assigned', it is my responsibility to establish the relationships required for me to work effectively with project staff. It is my privilege to work with people who are endeavouring to support and lift their communities.  I am in a position to make a contribution to the processes, as they are being developed and implemented. The reciprocity is in the project staff accepting me and the skills I am offering; and the process whereby I am providing services, knowledge and expertise in a way that is meaningful and valuable.  We are learning, therefore we are building our capacity simultaneously.  The value of this process is in the sustainability of the initiatives that are developed. Reciprocity in research can be about the mutual exchange of knowledge and expertise. (ANZEA Hui August 2007)

• Understand that reciprocity can evolve into a process of giving.

… I was contracted to do an evaluation of a youth programme that was looking at sustainable youth development.  Over the term of the contract I developed a good working relationship with the community co-ordinator, and he became a mate, a friend. As the evaluator, I was grateful for the coordinator's openness in support of my work; and the coordinator told me he was grateful for the insights and guidance I was able to provide through my evaluation work.  It was a sad day when my contract ended with his organisation, or so I thought. Three months after the contract had finished I got a ring from the coordinator, Bro, could you look at a proposal I put together for some funding? Sure,' I told him. Unfortunately, I didn't realise he had no experience writing proposals and I eventually had to re-write the whole thing. But I thought, 'Kei te pai, this is reciprocity. About a year later I got another call from my mate the coordinator. Bro, could you do a keynote speech for a youth course I'm running? Sure bro, when is it? Tomorrow!he said. I was pretty busy with reports at the time, but I thought, Sweet - reciprocity! Then about 18 months later I get another call from my mate the coordinator. Bro, could you come and talk to a group of young people about photovoice? I said, Sweet bro, when? I can come and pick you up in an hour! and I thought, Sweet, reciprocity! Just because the contract ends, the giving doesn't.   (ANZEA Hui August 2007)

• Be aware that reciprocity can be about the exchange of wisdom and youthful thought.

…a little boy passed by an old man who had a big, beautiful veggie garden. In it he was growing tomatoes. The little boy asked the old man if he could have one; it was the biggest, juiciest, reddest tomato in the garden. The old man said if the little boy had a dollar, he could have that tomato. The little boy said, I only have ten cents. The old man replied, I'm sorry boy, you don't have enough. The little boy asked if he could pick one for ten cents.  The old man said, Well, which one do you think is worth ten cents? The little boy said, How about that one over there?  He pointed to a green one, which was the biggest on the vine, even bigger than the ripe tomato. The old man looked and smiled, and said, Okay boy, you can have that tomato.  It's yours for ten cents. The boy politely gave him the ten cents and calmly told the old man, I'll come over and pick it up next week. Reciprocity comes back with intrinsic value intact.  (ANZEA Hui August 2007)

• Understand that koha is a form of reciprocity and involves giving and receiving.

… while working on a project the issue of koha came up. The question by one of our colleagues was, 'What is koha?' (She was non-Māori ). I wanted to say Ko te ha manawa o te tangata. Yeah right, it was easier to say, 'Reciprocity. But I knew koha meant much more than that:

• it's our way of saying thank you
• it's our way of giving recognition
• it's our way of giving acknowledgement
• it's our way of sharing the love.

Iti te kupu, nui ake te korero. (Possible meanings include 'a few words, generates a rich discussion' or 'one word contains a depth of meaning')

"It's the value we give to what we receive - we give mana to that which is meaningful. (ANZEA Hui August 2007)

… Koha was included in the budget of a major national research project I worked on.  I wasn't comfortable giving a monetary incentive like vouchers, and the ladies I interviewed weren't comfortable with an actual koha. As the interviews progressed I realised that the ladies valued the opportunity to share their stories. They appreciated that there was someone who was willing to listen for as long as it took to tell their stories, and that person was respectful and caring. Our koha to them was the consideration accorded to them as part of the research process and the handing back of their story as documented by the research.  Their koha was the sharing of their stories and the contribution they made to the research. There is potential for the research process itself to be an act of reciprocity. (ANZEA Hui August 2007)

• Be aware that reciprocity is about giving something back that is meaningful to the recipient.

…officials did a research project with youth gang members in an urban centre. This project involved an evaluation of a mediation project with gangs to help stop tensions and violence; and research on the drivers of gang membership, their wants and needs. In return officials helped match the young people to social services that met their needs, such as driver's licence courses, trade training and education courses. This practice had a number of positive outcomes. It ensured we put into practice the principle of reciprocity by giving something meaningful back to the young people who helped us with our work, not just by way of reports, but by assisting with their social and economic development. Considered reciprocity can make a difference in people's lives. (ANZEA Hui August 2007)

• Understand that reciprocity requires consideration about the value of what is given and what is received and can involve creative ways of sharing.

… I had a conversation with a colleague of mine who was getting a Ta Moko done as part of an exhibition. This Ta Moko, which was going across her back, had been designed specifically for her by the Kaita. It included her whakapapa and all sorts of things that she had wanted. I asked her how much it cost to have the Ta Moko done. She said she didn't know.  The Kaita had said payment was by way of koha, and she had thought about eighty bucks would do it. So I said, So you've thought about what it is you're getting and what it means to you, and obviously you've decided eighty dollars is okay for what you're going to get? She thought some more and then said, Nah, I guess it's not enough aye? Ensure that what you give matches what you receive. (ANZEA Hui August 2007)

"Most respondents of research seem to receive koha in the form of cash or vouchers, and/or are ensured that their korero will be used to improve programmes that will benefit them individually and/or future programme participants. They might also be promised a copy of key findings of the research. 

How can respondents receive other benefits? How can the principles of reciprocity be enacted for them, and what will this look like? Not enough time is spent thinking about how respondents/communities can be compensated for their involvement in research and evaluation. Think about the possibilities of how reciprocity can be enacted. (ANZEA Hui August 2007)