Engagement principles

The global challenges that research seeks to address are becoming more complex. They cannot be addressed by one individual or one group alone but require diverse worldviews and multidisciplinary cooperation to ensure that the research has the greatest potential for translation, implementation and meaningful benefit.

Research engagement is also a shared responsibility across researchers, professional staff, and institutions, with each collaboration bringing its own challenges and opportunities, and, especially in a constrained research environment, requiring collective sharing of resources and expertise to ensure the work benefits all involved. Grounded in respect, trust, and productive dialogue, effective engagement enables you to build relationships that enable mutual learning, shared benefit, and lasting impact.

At Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, our approach to engagement recognises the diversity of our research partners and the importance of cultural safety in how relationships are formed and maintained. Engagement is an ongoing conversation, one that values different perspectives and fosters collaboration to create positive change.

Keep these principles in mind as you plan and carry out engagement activities to ensure your approach is intentional, inclusive, and will increase your potential for impact.

Trust and respect

Establishing trust is fundamental and requires consistency, honesty, and open communication.

• Communicate clearly, openly, and often. Keep everyone aware of progress, what’s coming next, and what to expect; change is inevitable, but surprise does not have to be. Maintain open communication to navigate differences, establish clear rules of engagement, and share updates so everyone feels part of the team.
• Set and manage expectations early, including clarity of roles and responsibilities, both internally and externally, across academics, professional staff, external stakeholders, end users, and beneficiaries.
• Consider data sovereignty and the appropriate care and use of data in the current project and beyond.

Read more about Māori data sovereignty and Pacific data sovereignty.

Genuine partnership

Engagement should be more than consultation; it is about working collaboratively with stakeholders as equal partners in decision-making.

• Design the research in open dialogue with your partners, actively engaging and building relationships that can withstand challenges, while keeping the purpose and the wider social, cultural, environmental, economic, and political context in mind.
• Acknowledge that all partners have agency and expertise; value what each partner brings. There is no hierarchy of knowledge.
• Be sensitive to potential power dynamics. Everyone involved should feel empowered and a part of the process. Think also about how you will balance any power dynamics, be they access to knowledge, resources, skills or experience.
• Reflect on who you need to involve and engage in your research, and the role of equity, diversity and inclusion in your approach. Reach out to, and explore who to work with, be it others with relevant knowledge, networks and expertise.
• Storytelling is important; think about how you could tell a story together.

Early and meaningful engagement

Involving partners early in the process, before decisions are finalised, is crucial for effective and inclusive outcomes.

• “Us together as a team” not “us vs them” or “othering” partners.
• Your priority is to listen to partners rather than arrive with a fully formed idea. Understand what they value and how you can include their measures of success (whether it be metrics or other), so you can be adaptive and inclusive in shaping shared aspirations.
• How can you be relational, and avoid the transactional?

Open and transparent engagement

Being upfront about the purpose; process and potential impacts of engagements is essential for building confidence.

• Think very carefully about the purpose and anticipated outcomes/impacts of the work.
• Take the time to carefully understand the context in which you will be working, such as cultural, commercial, political, policy, medical, legal, regulatory or ethical. Make sure you deeply understand the history, current state, and patterns. Consider interactions and dynamics that have shaped the past, are shaping the present, and will shape the future. Build this understanding from multiple perspectives/worldviews to balance expectations, aspirations and ways of interacting.
• While it can be challenging, help to make the systems and processes clear for the team, especially for external parties. Be adaptive, agile and flexible where possible.
• Be culturally safe and competent; acknowledge and respect different worldviews and knowledge systems, and consider what appropriate cultural protocols mean for how you plan, conduct, and translate your research.
• Consider how to manage engagement with oversubscribed groups in a way that protects them from being overwhelmed without gatekeeping. How can you support, coordinate, and align relationships so new partnerships do not conflict with existing ones.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, engagement must also uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi and reflect principles that align with Māori aspirations for partnership, protection, and participation in research.

When engaging with Māori, iwi, or hapū, consider the following:

Ensure accessibility

Provide diverse ways for partners to participate and meet partners in the ways that work best for them.

Embed inclusivity

Design engagement processes that include all partners, regardless of background, location, or access needs.

Be responsive

Listen actively to feedback and clearly demonstrate how it has shaped decisions and actions.

Commit for the long term

Prioritise long-term relationship building and maintain communication beyond a single project or initiative.

These principles are also relevant when engaging with Pacific communities and other groups where cultural context, relationships, and shared values are central to meaningful collaboration.

Engagement is an ongoing process

Take a long-term view of relationships, recognising that engagement may not have a clear end point. Resource people and activities beyond a single project, focus on the journey as well as the outcomes, and look ahead to future opportunities, succession planning, and shared pathways.

Budget for Manaakitanga

Ensure time and expertise are appropriately compensated and supported. Budget for face-to-face engagement, including koha, vouchers, transport, hospitality, and other practical needs. Be ready to help partners navigate systems such that support is delivered in a timely and respectful way.

Resourcing appropriately

Identify funding sources and build a budget that reflects the full research team, including partners outside the university. Plan for administrative and project management needs, and build complementary, diverse capability with clear goal alignment, shared metrics, and equitable participation.

Email: researchimpact@auckland.ac.nz