Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa

Our impact

Our work with KJ represents a significant step in the evaluation of First Nations programs.

This evaluation demonstrated a genuinely Indigenous-led approach that truly put the Martu voice at the centre … a seminal piece of work not only for us as a Martu organisation, but also Indigenous policy, evaluation and program design at a sector level.” Peter Johnson • Co-founder of Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa

Background

Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa (KJ) is a Martu organisation. KJ was created by Martu in 2005 to preserve Martu culture and build strong and sustainable communities.

Martu are among the most traditional Aboriginal groups in Australia. They are the traditional custodians of a vast area of the Great Sandy, Little Sandy and Gibson Desserts in the Western Desert of the Pilbara. Our partnership with KJ started in 2010 when they engaged us to evaluate the social, cultural and economic benefits of their On-Country programs. Since then, we have been on the journey together, measuring their varied work.

Role we played

We realised that the evaluation had to reflect Martu’s experiences. It was crucial that:

• our methodology suited Martu communities, captured their voice and was based on outcomes they value
• KJ’s impact was measured against these outcomes
• the process focused on what was important to Martu, and not to non-Martu.

We worked closely with KJ and Martu to run workshops to develop a list of Martu outcomes. We then ran community consultations across Newman, Parnngurr, Punmu, Kunawarritji and Jigalong in the Western Desert. Next, we produced and analysed qualitative and quantitative data. Finally, we prepared detailed evaluation reports that describe KJ’s impact on Martu.

The reports and approach were in line with the Indigenous Evaluation Strategy 2020, published by Productivity Commission.

Outcome

Martu articulated the outcomes important to them. This means current and future programs can be measured against those outcomes.

We uncovered how KJ contributed to those outcomes over the past 10 years. The final report also detailed what Martu want to see happen to build the future for their communities.

Reflections on Martu outcomes and how they compare to Western perspective emerged. We described the major enablers of positive outcomes from a policy and program design perspective. We also found how much Martu’s relationship with KJ underpinned the trust and respect needed to work together for a better future.

Martu were highly involved throughout the evaluation process. They co-facilitated community workshops and informed consultation approaches. Through this process, Martu were able to build their evaluation capabilities.

The SVA 10 year evaluation gave Martu the opportunity to tell us and mainstream Australia what is important to them and for future programs affecting their communities to be measured against that standard. We have again been very impressed with the capability and commitment of SVA’s consultants. They have the skill to balance the need for robust and rigorous evaluation with the empathy required to be reactive to the needs and rhythms of remote communities.” Zan King • General Manager, External Affairs, Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa