Evaluation of Save the Children New Zealand’s Negotiated Partnership Programme

Background

Save the Children New Zealand (SCNZ), co-funded by MFAT’s Negotiated Partnership, implemented a five-year programme (2020–2025) across Fiji, Laos, Nepal, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and regional Pacific projects. The programme focused on three pillars:

1. Safe Schools & Resilience – Protecting children from disasters, climate risks, and COVID-19.

2. Child Poverty Reduction – Supporting families to meet children’s health, education, and nutrition needs.

3. Child Protection – Reducing violence against children and strengthening child rights.

   
   

What we did and how

The evaluation, undertaken by Future Partners, was conducted in 2025. It used a mixed-method, participatory approach with surveys, interviews, focus groups, and case studies across communities and schools. The team, led by Meenakshi Sankar, found the SCNZ teams to be very engaged and knowledgeable. She also provided support to select in-country consultants to improve the quality and consistency of approaches for the evaluation of the individual country project evaluations.

Meenakshi and colleagues undertook an extensive desk-based review and analysis of documents, summarised the country level project evaluation, led the 2 regional projects evaluation and synthesised the findings across the whole programme.

Future Partners then prepared a presentation at a sense-making workshop with SCNZ prior to finalising the report.

The final evaluation report set out key achievements for each of the 9 separate projects which informed a series of considerations for the future and recommendations (both strategic and operational).

Key recommendations for future investment:

1. Sharpen Programme Focus – Fewer, more targeted projects for deeper impact, and build on successes.

2. Strengthen MERL – Enhance monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning systems to track outcomes across countries.

3. Institutionalise Child Protection – Embed practices in school and community systems for long-term sustainability.

4. Promote gender quality, disability and social inclusion – Ensure accessibility and participation for all children.

5. Expand Partnerships – Deepen collaboration and engagement with partners governments, NGOs, and communities as well as with other development partners

Conclusion:

The SCNZ Negotiated Partnership Programme demonstrated strong progress in creating safer schools, reducing child poverty, and protecting children from violence. While challenges remain in scaling and inclusivity, the programme laid a solid foundation for child rights advancement in the Pacific and Asia. With strengthened partnerships and a sharper focus, Phase 2 has the potential for even greater impact.