Monitoring wellbeing: What can be measured, can be managed
In this final article of the Planalytics wellbeing series, we explore current initiatives to monitor wellbeing and discuss the challenges and opportunities that such monitoring presents. As a wise person once said, ‘what can be measured, can be managed’, and we couldn’t agree more. Without some form of monitoring and reporting in place, how will we know if we’re making a difference? How will decision-makers know if their wellbeing policies and projects have an impact? How will they understand what could be successfully replicated in the future to improve wellbeing outcomes, and what type of policies and projects should be avoided? So many questions! Read on for our take on the importance of monitoring wellbeing, however difficult it may be.
Why measure wellbeing?
Measuring wellbeing is a tough gig, due mainly to the intangible nature of the term. As noted in our first article in this series, ‘wellbeing’ can mean different things to different people. Therefore, developing measures or indicators to monitor wellbeing, and report on impact, is tricky. Yet monitoring and reporting on wellbeing initiatives is critical, here’s why:
It helps understand progress towards achieving stated wellbeing outcomes;
It tracks trends over time, enabling the deployment of resources (including funding) with maximum impact;
It creates transparency and accountability; respecting the people whose wellbeing is being monitored;
It informs decision-making, particularly regarding any trade-offs between competing priorities that may be required; and
It ensures that wellbeing initiatives, be they policies or projects, remain effective and fit for purpose over time.
Given the importance of monitoring wellbeing, we were curious to understand what current wellbeing measurement frameworks are in place across Aotearoa New Zealand and how they are faring.
Current measurement frameworks
A number of global, national, and regional initiatives have begun to discuss and define specific wellbeing indicators (or measures) for use across New Zealand. This includes those identified in the pyramid below; from the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals at the global level, to Ngā Tūtohu Aotearoa (Indicators Aotearoa) at the national level, to regional partnerships, and local indicators available at the territorial authority level.
In addition, specific initiatives to begin to understand Māori wellbeing have been completed. This includes:
Te Kupenga (2013), which sought to provide a picture of the social, cultural, and economic wellbeing of Māori in New Zealand, including information from a Māori cultural perspective (StatsNZ, 2014); and
Te Puni Kōkiri’s 2017 report on quality of life indicators for Māori.
These existing wellbeing monitoring initiatives are great, however, they contribute to a complex monitoring landscape. The very number and bespoke nature of these measurement frameworks provide a raft of challenges and opportunities for those trying to apply them to different communities in various locations across the country, and at different times.
challenges and Opportunities
As noted above, the complex monitoring landscape for wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand presents a number of challenges and opportunities. It is exciting that such a range of monitoring approaches have been taken; we can all draw on these as we develop our own wellbeing indicators. Or maybe that’s the problem? Too many bespoke wellbeing measurement frameworks that can’t be stitched together to form a coherent picture of wellbeing across different communities and localities? It’s a tricky subject.
Firstly, the vast number of indicators (or measures) within some current monitoring frameworks can be overwhelming. It is important to have a wellbeing monitoring framework that is realistic in terms of the reporting burden it creates. For example, 20 indicators are far less cumbersome to report on than 250 indicators. In addition, not all wellbeing indicators are going to be relevant to a specific community or location. Every community has its own wellbeing needs, and we suggest that the development of wellbeing monitoring frameworks provides the opportunity for reasonable community input. This is reflected in the quote below from the Minister of Local Government (2019), who sees a role for local councils in engaging with communities regarding wellbeing data and measurement.
It can also be challenging to achieve a mix of qualitative and quantitative indicators to measure wellbeing. Quantitative data, such as that regarding economic wellbeing for example, can be easier and more accessible to collect than qualitative data (such as self-assessed levels of cultural or social wellbeing). Data sovereignty, particularly Māori data sovereignty, also needs to be respected. This must take into account the rights of people to govern their own wellbeing data.
Another challenge that we have encountered is the availability of open source wellbeing data at a local level. While Ngā Tūtohu Aotearoa (Indicators Aotearoa) and StatsNZ provide robust open source wellbeing data at a national or regional level, it is not always available at the local level. This lack of local-level wellbeing data can make it difficult to monitor and compare wellbeing in a sub-region, such as Wairarapa, without accessing a paid wellbeing monitoring product such as those provided by Taituarā - Local Government Professionals Aotearoa and Infometrics.
Yet among these challenges, opportunities abound. Recognition of the importance of community wellbeing has grown over recent years, attested to by the number and variety of wellbeing monitoring frameworks currently in place across Aotearoa. These existing measurement frameworks can be drawn on to develop community and location-based wellbeing indicators, useful to benchmark wellbeing across different parts of the country. As more organisations adopt wellbeing monitoring and reporting frameworks, the more communities and decision-makers may come to rely on the information provided to guide their future development. To paraphrase the City of Santa Monica Office of Wellbeing (2013), wellbeing provides a common language by which governments and citizens are enabled to work together to reimagine the future. Powerful stuff.
The final word
Ultimately any monitoring and reporting of wellbeing is, in our opinion, a good thing. Without it, wellbeing outcomes and vision statements remain stale on the page, creating lip service to what can be a powerful driver for framing and implementing wellbeing-focused policies and projects. Our advice would be, just get started. There is no such thing as the ‘perfect’ set of wellbeing indicators, everyone will have their own opinions on what should be measured and why. Data will not always be available at the level, or with the regularity, that you may like. The trick is to get a robust set of wellbeing indicators in place, start reporting on them, and gradually, build confidence in wellbeing monitoring, and increase understanding of the ability of such reporting to inform decision-making and track wellbeing trends over time. Information is power, and information that is gathered through well-considered wellbeing monitoring is more powerful again. Rest assured that we will be watching this space with interest. If you have any thoughts or experiences to contribute, please don’t hesitate to drop us a line at office@planalytics.co.nz.
and so, all good things must come to an end
This is the final article of the five-part Planalytics wellbeing series for September. Over the course of the last five weeks we have described New Zealand’s current wellbeing framework and looked into opportunities for promoting wellbeing through the Resource Management Act, the Building Act, and the Local Government Act. We even took a closer look at the role of the private sector in achieving positive wellbeing outcomes in the built environment. And today we finished with some insight into our experiences of monitoring wellbeing.
As we reflect back on the wellbeing series, it is apparent that we didn’t know as much as we thought we did about wellbeing and how to achieve positive wellbeing outcomes for all New Zealanders. There is still much to learn and consider. However there is no better time to start than now, and we hope that this series has provided some food for thought as you grapple with what wellbeing means for your organisations and communities and how best you can promote it. As beautifully put by StatsNZ:
Rārangi maunga, tū te ao, tū te pō,
Rārangi tangata, ka matemate noa,
Rārangi raraunga, ka ao ka awatea,
Hei oranga mō te iwi,
Tihei mauriora!
Rows of mountains will endure time
Rows of people will eventually pass on
But rows of data bring new knowledge and enlightenment
For the wellbeing of all people.
Kia kaha Aotearoa, let’s take this wellbeing journey together.