Finding our way: Cultural competence and Pākehā evaluators

Abstract

Practitioner competence is a critical ingredient in the development of a robust, valid and equitable evaluation. In Aotearoa New Zealand the evaluator competencies identify cultural competence as a core capability. There are some particular challenges that Pākehā (New Zealand European) evaluators face in developing this competency. In grappling with these complex challenges, and in the absence of a pragmatic and systematic way of responding, the writers discuss the use of a heuristic they have developed that may aid enquiry and support evaluators to work in a culturally responsive manner. Three case examples are presented for applying the heuristic in practice. The benefits of, and insights from, using the heuristic are discussed. 1 The term 'Pākehā' is contested. For the purpose of this article we use it to refer to New Zealanders of European descent, however people self-identify. Issues of identity are discussed more fully in an earlier article by the authors (Torrie,

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