Measuring Up: Evaluation Approaches to Social Impact Measurement in Aotearoa New Zealand's Impact Investment Market.

The measurement landscape in Aotearoa, New Zealand's impact investment market

The rhetoric on impact investing in New Zealand is strengthening. Impact investment focuses on generating both financial returns and positive social or environmental outcomes. These initiatives reflect a growing global trend of impact investing, where investments align with the values of investors who seek to contribute positively to society and the environment. The environment in Aotearoa, New Zealand is unique in the impact investing space because of the rich perspective of Te Ao Māori (Māori worldview), Pasifika and diverse communities. The Māori economy is experiencing growth, with the asset base expanding faster than the overall economy.

Impact investment can have a significant benefit for diverse communities. Impact leaders want to know their investments are delivering the intended social and environmentaimpacts. The importance of impact measurement has never been greater. Evaluating social impact investments involves a range of evaluation theories and methods. However, as the work of the AEA TIG Social Finance highlights little is known about how impact investors apply evaluation theories and methods. We are sharing the insights from landscape study on how evaluation theories and methods are used by impact investors in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Our session is one of four papers on building and strengthening evaluative thinking within the social finance sector. The sessions are interlinked to showcase the state of practice in social finance in the U.S. and New Zealand and to demonstrate 'real-life' scenarios on what evaluation looks like at an organizational-level.