Whakauae celebrated colleague Gill Potaka-Osborne's (Te Ātihaunui-ā-Pāpārangi) latest academic achievement at a team luncheon on 22 July 2020. Gill recently completed her Master's degree through Te Putahi-a-Toi at Massey University, Palmerston North. The degree will be formally conferred at a Hui Whakahōnore Pōtaetanga Ākonga Māori graduation ceremony, delayed until November 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gill's Master's thesis, entitled ‘Cup of tea words': Experiences of Māori evaluators in externally commissioned evaluations, explores the work of five evaluators all with extensive experience in the programme evaluation space. Her research was inspired by a number of factors including her own work as an evaluator over the past 15 years; her participation in the Ma Te Rae Māori Evaluation Association, the Aotearoa New Zealand Evaluation Association (ANZEA) and the AES (Australian Evaluation Society); and by her previous postgraduate study in the evaluation field. After completing a Graduate Diploma in Māori Development in 2011, Gill progressed to the Postgraduate Diploma in Social Sector Evaluation programme completing the qualification with merit in 2016. Her application to join Massey University's Master's programme was then accepted in 2018.
Gill's research was supervised by Associate Professor Margaret Forster and she submitted her thesis for examination at the close of 2019. Whilst studying for her Master's degree, Gill continued her research and evaluation work with Whakauae along with her close involvement in whānau-related activity and active participation in both waka ama and rock ‘n' roll. She is quick to acknowledge the support of her whānau and her Whakauae colleagues throughout her study journey, along with Dr Maureen Holdaway who introduced her to higher study, and Dr Lesley Batten who provided early study inspiration.
