Abstract
A kaupapa Māori evaluation was undertaken, aimed at developing an understanding of:
i. how co-design research was conceptualised and implemented within the Healthier Lives projects
ii. the challenges that were experienced by researchers and community participants, what worked and what didn’t work
iii. what solutions could be gleaned, and
iv. what lessons could be useful for others who may be implementing future co-design research projects in health settings.
Eight university researchers and eight community partners across five Healthier Lives co-designed research projects (see Appendix 1 for brief description) were interviewed. The projects were:
• He Pikinga Waiora (HPW)
• OL@-OR@
• Pacific Prediabetes Youth Empowerment Programme (PPYEP)
• Mana Tū
• WellConnectedNZTM
Study participants included eight academic and eight community-based members of the five research teams. The latter included leaders and staff of the Māori and Pacific health providers who partnered in the research, as well as the community researchers who were employed by these organisations. Some community researchers were funded by, and specifically employed for, the project, while others were seconded to the project from existing roles within their organisation.
An ethics application for this study was approved on 22 April 2020 by the New Zealand Ethics Committee Te Roopu Rapu i te Tika (https://www.nzethics.com/).