Niho Taniwha

Our work is about reconnecting to tangata whenua and Pasifika innovation to support social and economic transformation. The Niho Taniwha is a values-led set of practices, that weave learning and evaluation through the innovation process. It is developed from working with whānau, communities and systems. It is grounded in Aotearoa and draws respectfully from mātauranga Māori.

The Niho Taniwha pattern has a rich whakapapa in Aotearoa and across the Pacific and helps locate us in Tāmaki Makaurau today.




Niho Taniwha - Embedding evaluation in your mahi

November 2021, Centre for Social Impact
Presenters: Rachael Trotman, Penny Hagen, and Sophia Beaton

Embedding evaluative thinking and practice into your work, and taking a values-based, tikanga-led and evidence-informed approach to evaluating your mahi. Insights into The Southern Initiative’s learning from developing its Niho Taniwha framework and toolset, and the essence of the Niho Taniwha approach. Via Centre for Social Impact


Kia Tipu Te Ao Mārama

Te Korekoreka and the Niho Taniwha are evaluative frameworks that underpin the learning environments within Tokona te Raki and The Southern Initiative, respectively. Developed in parallel, this paper shares the journey and role of these two frameworks within each of the organisations, Tokona te Raki, an indigenous social innovation arm of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and The Southern Initiative1 , a social innovation initiative within Auckland Council, based in the south and west of Tāmaki Makaurau.