Awa Associates
Awa are a multi-discipline, multi-ethnic team committed to supporting your business or organisation develop the right systems and tools to better deliver, understand, monitor and improve the social impact of your work. Our team of associates are specialists in social & cultural policy, research and evaluation, communications, workforce development, and infrastructure service support.
Our strengths-based approach means our work is client-led, with a strong focus on producing innovative solutions and meaningful outcomes for your organisation and the people, audiences and communities you engage with. Our associates' strengths lie in their extensive networks and experience in the public, private and philanthropic sectors, and in working and engaging with high priority populations including Māori and Pacific peoples.
Together we can make a difference, contribute to the success of others and enable change for a better future.
Our Mahi
Awa Associates can provide guidance, training or specialist services in our key areas of expertise:
Research & Evaluation
- Outcome frameworks
- Planning & reporting
- Formative, Process & Outcome evaluations
- Kaupapa Māori research & evaluation
Workforce Development
- Public Health mentoring
- Cultural competency packages
- Professional development planning
- Infrastructure support
Connecting Communities
- Community action & engagement
- Capacity building & empowerment
- Local leadership enhancement
Social & Cultural Policy
- Inclusive & transformative
- Led by client/community
- Robust & systematic approach
Awa Associates are able, agile and accountable.
This means we operate as a 'plug and play' organisation where we deliver tailored and timely solutions and results. A strong research and evaluation component is attached to all our projects to ensure best practice and monitored outcomes.
Vision: Indigenous peoples are leaders in sustainable social, cultural and environmental practice
Objectives:
Connect, share and grow future Māori Leadership across community aspirations
Stimulate community engagement and influence in systematic conversations for change
Establish a culture of quality and excellence
Mission: Realising indigenous aspirations through innovative and creative solutions
Values:
Manaaki Tāngata
Taking a collaborative and responsible approach to our work and in our engagement with whānau and communities. This acknowledges a reciprocal and mutually beneficial approach to learning.
Kaitiakitanga
An inter-generational approach to environmental, social, economic and cultural development and sustainability.
Mana Wāhine
The unique power of indigenous women in (re)claiming their rightful whakapapa, whenua, and mana.
Our Approach
Get to Know Our Directors
The word Awa in the Māori language means “River” and for us it conceptualises the strength of relationships and connectedness with family, community, the land and the environment. In the same way that streams come together to form rivers, and rivers in turn flow to the sea, Awa is about bringing together knowledge, skills and expertise while harnessing the power of people and momentum to understand quality social impact.
021 570 554
Suaree Borell Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Maniapoto, Samoan
With eight years’ experience in designing and conducting research and evaluation programmes in the wider public service areas of health and education, Suaree brings a wealth of knowledge and understanding to Awa Associates. Suaree's extensive qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology, Honours in Sociology, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Political Science. Having recently led the development of a set of targeted Public Health Competencies for the gambling harm minimisation sector while managing a national workforce development service, Suaree is skilled in innovative delivery of competency assessment and training modules. She continues to support Māori health outcomes in her range of projects related to health, education and corrections.
021 432 867
Hector Kaiwai Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Maniapoto
Hector has a Masters in Māori Studies with First Class Honours and has worked professionally for the last 15 years in policy, workforce development, and as a kaupapa Māori researcher and evaluator. Hector’s portfolio is varied and diverse having worked in areas such as interpersonal violence, resilience, whānau ora, hip hop dance and music, positive youth development, physical activity and nutrition, social marketing, sexual health, literacy, tobacco, the media, alcohol, gambling, mentoring and fire safety. Hector has guest lectured and tutored for a number of years in ethnomusicology at the University of Auckland. He has also guest lectured in research and evaluation at Massey University and was part of a team that delivered public health and evaluation training throughout the country.
Connect with Awa
Pātai mai - we would love to hear from you