Evaluating effectiveness
NZAID carries out reviews and evaluations to assess the performance and effectiveness of its programmes and activities. Evaluations are intended to provide information for three key purposes: accountability, learning and improvement.
Participatory approaches to measuring performance are used wherever possible. It is intended that these will result in a strengthening of the evaluation capability and capacity of NZAID's development partners .
NZAID is in the process of developing an evaluation policy and guidelines to strengthen evaluation activities in the agency. An increased commitment to evaluation, and the development of knowledge and skills in this area, has the potential to enhance organisational performance and enable NZAID to play its part in collaborative evaluation with other agencies and partners. The development of NZAID's evaluation policy and associated guidelines has been designed to involve internal and external consultation, trial, and openness to review.
The OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) Principles for the Evaluation of Development Assistance have been used as the foundation for developing the new NZAID evaluation policy and guidelines. This is consistent with the NZAID Policy Statement and the overall aim for NZAID to be a responsive and learning organisation that is knowledgeable about the development aspirations, needs, culture and environment of its developing country partners .
Current reviews
In 2005, the OECD Development Assistance Committee undertook a Peer Review of New Zealand's development cooperation programme. These reviews are undertaken every four or five years and this was the first review since the formation of NZAID.
The review found that development co-operation is an important dimension of New Zealand's commitment to being a good international citizen and that the reorientation of development co-operation since the last Peer Review in 2000 has been impressive having created the capacity to deliver state of the art programmes. Importantly this review also validated the cabinet decision to establish a semi-autonomous body to deliver New Zealand's ODA programme.
During 2004 and 2005, Dr Marilyn Waring was appointed to carry out a Ministerial Review of NZAID's progress since the agency's formation. Dr Waring's review also validated the Government's decision to establish the semi-autonomous body, NZAID, and suggested New Zealand's role in the global effort to reduce poverty is in good hands.
Relevant link: 
DAC Peer Review of New Zealand - Final Report (549k)
Relevant link: Ministerial Review of Progress in Implementing 2001 Cabinet Recommendations Establishing NZAID (593k)
Page Last Reviewed: 6 July, 2006
Document URL: http://www.nzaid.govt.nz/what-we-do/evaluating-effectiveness.html