<p style="text-align:center"><em><span style="font-size:12px">Gill Potaka-Osborne and Stacey Ranginui, 22 July 2020</span></em></p>

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<p>Whakauae celebrated colleague Gill Potaka-Osborne&rsquo;s (Te &#256;tihaunui-&#257;-P&#257;p&#257;rangi) latest academic achievement at a team luncheon on 22 July 2020. Gill recently completed her Master&rsquo;s degree through Te Putahi-a-Toi at Massey University, Palmerston North. The degree will be formally conferred at a Hui Whakah&#333;nore P&#333;taetanga &#256;konga M&#257;ori graduation ceremony, delayed until November 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Gill&rsquo;s Master&rsquo;s thesis, entitled &lsquo;Cup of tea words&rsquo;: Experiences of M&#257;ori evaluators in externally commissioned evaluations, explores the work of five evaluators all with extensive experience in the programme evaluation space. Her research was inspired by a number of factors including her own work as an evaluator over the past 15 years; her participation in the Ma Te Rae M&#257;ori Evaluation Association, the Aotearoa New Zealand Evaluation Association (ANZEA) and the AES (Australian Evaluation Society); and by her previous postgraduate study in the evaluation field. After completing a Graduate Diploma in M&#257;ori Development in 2011, Gill progressed to the Postgraduate Diploma in Social Sector Evaluation programme completing the qualification with merit in 2016. Her application to join Massey University&rsquo;s Master&rsquo;s programme was then accepted in 2018.</p>

<p>Gill&rsquo;s research was supervised by Associate Professor Margaret Forster and she submitted her thesis for examination at the close of 2019. Whilst studying for her Master&rsquo;s degree, Gill continued her research and evaluation work with Whakauae along with her close involvement in wh&#257;nau-related activity and active participation in both waka ama and rock &lsquo;n&rsquo; roll. She is quick to acknowledge the support of her wh&#257;nau and her Whakauae colleagues throughout her study journey, along with Dr Maureen Holdaway who introduced her to higher study, and Dr Lesley Batten who provided early study inspiration.</p>
