Reports Database:
Tākai Puni – Measuring the impact and social value of Tūranga Health Kaumātua Programme
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Context & approach
This report details an evaluative SROI analysis of Te Hauora o Tūranganui-a-Kiwa Ltd (Tūranga Health) Kaumātua Programme. Tūranga Health is an iwi health provider located in Tūranganui-a-Kiwa, Gisborne, Tairāwhiti (East Cape region of New Zealand’s North Island). Tūranga Health provides a range of services in the community with a mission of achieving mauri ora (flourishing wellness) by engaging with whānau (families) in their whare (homes) and kāinga (neighbourhoods, villages). Tūranga Health staff offer holistic care and services for those within the tribal area they serve.
This case study is the second in a series of three as part of a project entitled, Measuring the impact and social value of Tūranga Health’s services. The research team is assessing whether Social Return on Investment (SROI) methodology is appropriate, practicable, useful, and affordable in an Indigenous Māori health delivery setting.
Rationale for programme selection Tūranga Health’s Kaumātua Programme was selected for evaluation by Tūranga Health leadership. The Kaumātua Programme is Tūranga Health’s flagship programme. It has been running for almost 30 years; however, this is the first in-depth written evaluation of the programme. This SROI analysis is framed within the wider context of kaumātua (elderly, older persons) wellbeing, an area with a small but growing body of existing research. Therefore, the current research and analysis will contribute to this knowledge area from the unique perspective of Tūranga Health and kaumātua local to Tūranganui-a-
Kiwa.
Whanaungatanga – material stakeholders
Our research team adapted the SROI process to align with Māori customs and values (tikanga). Therefore, we referred to the first stage of the SROI process (stakeholder mapping) as whanaungatanga. The focus was on understanding the network of relationships that are central to the Kaumātua Programme and how they interact with each other. This tikanga and thinking also guides our approach to whakawhanaungatanga (process of establishing relationships, relating well to others), which is our process of ‘stakeholder engagement’. The research team brainstormed rōpū (groups) most likely to experience material outcomes. These
groups were: kaumātua (active and inactive participants of the programme), Tūranga Health kaimahi (staff, including programme coordinators), external presenters (those external to Tūranga Health with an education and/or service provision role in the programme), and marae (hosts of Kaumātua Programme). Tūranga Health leaders confirmed these groups as an appropriate starting point for whakawhanaungatanga (stakeholder engagement). During the whakawhanaungatanga process, stakeholders did not identify any other stakeholders who may have experienced material outcomes.
Key findings
Our SROI findings describe a story of change and impact for kaumātua within the Tūranganui-a-Kiwa community. For the purpose of this evaluative SROI analysis, we focussed on one financial year of the programme from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.
In the first phase of research, we conducted ten in-depth interviews across four stakeholder groups to ascertain the material outcomes these rōpū experienced through their participation in the Kaumātua Programme. The fourth group, ‘marae, village communities, hau kāinga’, provided material inputs (catering), but representatives reported no material outcomes, positive or negative.
Social Return on Investment ratio
Tūranga Health investment in the Kaumātua Programme over one year was substantial ($465,304); however, the social value created far exceeds this ($3,750,303). With a SROI ratio of 8.06:1, our analysis found that for every NZ$1 invested in the Tūranga Health Kaumātua Programme, approximately NZ$8.06 of social value was generated.
Report findings were verified with Tūranga Health’s Chief Executive and kaimahi and 18 active kaumātua. They confirmed that the findings resonated with their experience.
Conclusions & ways forward
This SROI evaluation confirms what many within the community already know: the Tūranga Health Kaumātua Programme delivers significant value, enhancing the cultural, emotional, and social wellbeing of enrolled kaumātua in Tūranganui-a-Kiwa. While the financial proxies selected help to express the Kaumātua Programme’s impact and social value, they cannot fully capture the depth and breadth of cultural meaning these outcomes hold within te ao Māori.
The estimated social value of the programme is conservative, as it relies solely on stakeholder reported benefits. For example, kaumātua and marae stakeholders did not disclose any benefits for their whānau or the wider community (insufficient evidence for base case). If we had relied on published research (not stakeholder voice), then additional benefits could be substantial (modelled in sensitivity analysis scenario 24).
Building on our previous work, this SROI analysis demonstrates a tikanga-led approach to applying SROI principles. By valuing reciprocal relationships to gather meaningful narratives, respecting kaumātua assessments of relative value, anchoring valuations to a credible financial proxy for the most important outcome to kaumātua, we have done our best to honour both the measurable and immeasurable dimensions of impact and social value created by the Kaumātua Programme and the cultural significance, which is often felt rather than seen. The programme’s strength lies not only in its outcomes, but in its moral commitment to kaumātua wellbeing, their whānau and the wider Tūranganui-a-Kiwa community.
Looking forward, sustainability of the Tūranga Health Kaumātua Programme is a significant challenge with growing enrolments and increasing costs, especially in an environment where Māori health providers are being asked to do more with less. Hopefully, this SROI evidence will secure ongoing investment for this kaupapa, not just because it delivers strong returns, but because it upholds mana motuhake, fosters hauora, and strengthens the relational ties that support healthy, meaningful ageing for kaumātua. These benefits support Tūranga Health’s impact goal to ‘maintain mana motuhake in the kāinga’. This report contains several insights offered as koha to Tūranga Health, as its flagship programme continues to grow into the future.
Lessons and limitations
This SROI process revealed many learning opportunities for the project team. We have reflected on these throughout this report and in the final section, acknowledging professional judgements, assumptions and limitations within this report. We continue to deepen our understanding of applying a tikanga-led approach to SROI analysis, and building team capability. This report understands and privileges the unique context of Tūranga Health, including the unique approach to service delivery, and the complex web of reciprocal relationships held by Tūranga Health, its kaimahi, and the whānau who access activities, programmes, and support.