Call for nominations - Insights Alliance

Nominations are closed for the Insights Alliance which oversees the monitoring and evaluation of the Enabling Good Lives system transformation, and the implementation of the Monitoring, Evaluation, Analysis and Learning (MEAL) framework.

Nominations closed 11 September.

You can download a word document version of this webpage (DOCX 54KB). You can also download a te reo Māori version of this webpage. (DOCX 46KB)

About the Insights Alliance

The Insights Alliance is a partnership group associated with Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People. It is a tripartite group, meaning it is led by disabled people, Māori and the Crown (Whaikaha), and we seek to include a broad range of other groups. The purpose of the Insights Alliance is to be a forum for tripartite leadership to:

Oversee the monitoring and evaluation of the Enabling Good Lives (EGL) system transformation
Oversee the implementation of the Monitoring Evaluation Analysis and Learning (MEAL) plan as the system transforms

A transitional Insights Alliance has been operating since 2021. The Insights Alliance is moving away from a transitional status to a long term status through a selection process conducted with Whaikaha and our partners.

Please be aware that the Insights Alliance is only one of the groups that Whaikaha partners with and its membership will be people who are skilled in analysing the range of evidence required to transform the system not only across Whaikaha, but across government.

Other partnership arrangements are still being negotiated and developed so there will be many opportunities for the community to provide insights and bring valuable lived experience.

What are members expected to do?

The Alliance meets every two weeks on Zoom for one hour and 30 minutes. When available, members can also choose to join in sub-group discussions between meetings. We anticipate the Alliance should take between half a day to one day of your time every two weeks.

Reasonable accommodations required to enable full participation will be funded.

Members are expected to read all papers presented prior to meetings and come prepared for discussion. Members are also expected to stay connected with any communities they represent and ensure they bring forward the collective voices of their communities, rather than their own interests or opinions.

Community members are paid public service meeting fees aligned to the level of expertise required – this is $400 for each meeting, $500 for the chair and $200 for subgroup meetings. These meetings are usually 1.5 to 2 hours long, and subgroups are usually 1 to 1.5 hours long.

Special requests for extra work are negotiated, particularly for one or two day pieces of work, based on this fee structure and will vary dependent on the volume of work and time taken to complete.

MEAL Strategic Framework oversight

The Insights Alliance is the oversight group for the implementation of the MEAL Strategic Framework, which is a disabled-led approach to the development of Monitoring, Evaluation, Analysis and Learning mechanisms. This is foundational to the EGL approach to system transformation.

As it builds the approach will work across government agencies. Members are expected to develop an understanding of the four Strategic Shifts within the MEAL Strategic Framework to contribute meaningfully to discussion. Details about the Strategic Framework, including in accessible formats, are available on our MEAL Strategic Framework webpage

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for people with a diverse range of skillsets from a diverse range of backgrounds to join the Alliance. We are looking for people who know their communities well and who are able to bring an understanding of their community's collective experiences and perspectives. We are also seeking to ensure the group represents people whose voices are often not heard in the sector.

The people we are looking for include:

Disabled people
Tāngata whaikaha Māori me ō rātou whānau (disabled Māori and their whānau)
Pacific disabled people
Whānau / family members of disabled people
Someone with experience as a disability service provider
Crown officials (people who work for Whaikaha)

The skillsets we are looking for include:

Experience in monitoring, evaluation, analysis and learning spaces
Lived experience of disability and disability support services
Knowledge of disability rights, Enabling Good Lives and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Knowledge of and a commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi
A good understanding of equity and inequity
Strategic and critical thinking skills
Knowledge of Enabling Good Lives approach into practice

Technical expertise and experience in the following areas will lend support to your nomination:

Kaupapa Māori research paradigms, monitoring, or evaluation relevant to disability
Pacific research paradigms, monitoring, or evaluation relevant to disability
Data sovereignty
Using insights to inform and drive system change, including through service delivery.
Quantitative data analysis skills
Qualitative data analysis skills
Technical expertise of developmental evaluations in a disability context
Theoretical frameworks of inclusive and / or participatory methodologies

How to apply

You can apply by clicking on and filling in the Insights Alliance Nomination form (DOCX 26KB). Also available is the Nominations form in te reo Māori (DOCX 51KB).

Please send your completed nominations form and your CV to community_admin@whaikaha.govt.nz by 5pm 11 September 2023.

You can also apply by sending a video in New Zealand Sign Language, or by applying in another alternate format that works best for you.

You can also email community_admin@whaikaha.govt.nz if you have any questions.

Nominations Timeline

Please note that this timeline is not final and subject to change.

28 August - Release call for nominations

11 September - Closing of nominations

18 September - Selection panel completes individual review of nominations

25 September - Selection panel meets to discuss and agree on nominations

26 September - Community partners are sent highest ranked nominees from respective communities

1 October - Successful nominees are contacted after endorsement from community partners

Membership criteria

At all times Insights Alliance membership will include at least but not limited to:

Three tāngata whaikaha Māori me ō rātaou whānau (disabled Māori and whānau)
One Pacific disabled person
One disabled person (of any ethnicity)
Two family members (of any ethnicity)
Two Crown positions
One provider of disability services

Membership of the Insights Alliance seeks to ensure a balance between the following attributes:

Having the right skills and experience in the monitoring evaluation, analysis and learning space on the group (see Required Skills and Competencies section below),
Representing independent voice,
Equity, particularly from communities who have traditionally been excluded from this space and/or whose voice is often not heard
Lived experience of disability, and whānau who are directly impacted by the lived experience of disability
Vision and values which align with the Enabling Good Lives principles, and a commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi
People who can broaden the groups’ thinking

The Alliance acknowledges that it is not always possible to have all the desired attributes represented. Best efforts will be made to ensure the group represents the right mix of attributes outlined above.

Co-chairs will seek advice and support from relevant community / partnership / nominating groups to see if they can assist with membership selection. These groups may include (but are not limited to): the National Enabling Good Lives leadership group (NEGL), Te Ao Mārama Aotearoa (TAMA), Faiva Ora, People First, Deaf Action, Deaf Aotearoa, and the Whaikaha tripartite arrangement (details to be confirmed).

Final selection of group membership rests with the group co-chairs. Membership selection will not be made by a single person.

Required skills and competencies

The following high-level set of skills and competencies is proposed, to be made up among the membership:

Strategic and critical thinking skills and the ability to contribute advice to Ministers, community leaders and senior officials
Experts with lived experience of disability who are well networked with disabled community and tāngata whaikaha Māori me ō rātou whānau groups and organisations
Experts with experience of supporting disabled whānau who are well networked with whānau and community groups
High level of competence implementing the provisions within Te Tiriti o Waitangi as a foundation for monitoring and evaluation approaches
Knowledge of and commitment to the EGL approach and principles, especially how these pertain to monitoring and evaluation
Knowledge of health and social inequities that negatively impact on disabled people, tāngata whaikaha me ō rātou whānau
Members will be expected to work strategically and have credibility in relevant communities
The group must contain people who have technical expertise and experience in the following areas:

Kaupapa Māori research paradigms, monitoring, or evaluation relevant to disability
Pacific research paradigms, monitoring, or evaluation relevant to disability
Data sovereignty
Using insights to inform and drive system change, including through service delivery.
Quantitative data analysis skills
Qualitative data analysis skills
Technical expertise of developmental evaluations in a disability context
Theoretical frameworks of inclusive and / or participatory methodologies.