Why evaluate your information sources?

Te Whatu Aho Rau Information Evaluation Framework

At the core of Te Whatu Aho Rau information evaluation framework is the principle of it being an interconnected evaluation process. Two interpretations may be given to the name of the framework to demonstrate this core principle:

1. The Weaving of 100 Threads is the first interpretation and it refers to the weaving of facts, ideas and intuitions that form the basis of knowledge. The second interpretation;
2. The Eye Catching 100 Lights, emphasises the overload of information that we face, that needs to be filtered and evaluated before we can trust and act upon that information. We must identify a big picture context for the information source within the discipline and its relation to the work we are engaging with.

Mana is also a deeply held value within all aspects of the framework. When you engage with knowledge via the framework, it links you with the mana of the authors and creators of the knowledge. The framework suggests you engage with information using a more holistic perspective than the traditionally Western linear, tick-box approach. Evaluate your information sources using the guidance offered from the four pou (concepts) in the framework: Pūtaketanga, Aronga, Tātai Hononga and Māramatanga. The pou interrelate and not all will be met to the same degree with each source you gather. This is why it is important to consider which of these concepts are important to your information need. When you engage authentically in using this holistic interconnected framework for critical information evaluation and selection, you will gain an awareness of the mana of the knowledge you are engaging with, as will be revealed your ethical practise of accessing, understanding and applying knowledge.

Te Whatu Aho Rau information evaluation framework [PDF]

Use the guiding questions within the interactive learning tool below to assist you in evaluating your sources...

AI and source evaluation

AIthough generative AI tools produce some opportunities to assist with learning, their efforts also complicate the information landscape, generating much information without any trace of its origin. Unless you can identify the Pūtaketanga, (the origins) of a source, the Te Whatu Aho Rau information evaluation framework does not endorse AI-generated information.
Currently, information generated from generative AI tools must be viewed as unreliable and untrustworthy as supporting evidence for your research (Feekery, Condon and Witsel, 2025, p. 236). AI is not an information source. Treat anything you read from generative AI tools as a spring board for your thoughts and searching, “rather than any final source of truth” (Southern Cross University Library, 2025).

Learning scenarios

Explore the scenarios below, on how you, as a postgraduate student might apply the interconnected Te Whatu Aho Rau information evaluation framework to your evaluation and selection of sources for your research. Note these examples are a limited selection of sources, to support two separate research topics from different disciplines. Learning scenarios in full [PDF]

References

Feekery, A., & Tawhai, R.  (2024). Te Whatu Aho Rau: He Anga Arotake: An information evaluation framework. https://sites.google.com/view/angela-feekery/te-whatu-aho-rau-he-anga-arotake

Feekery, A., Condon, S. M., & Witsel, S. (2025). Communication skills for business professionals (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009506953

Southern Cross University Library. (2025).  From search to source: Finding reliable information. Council of Australasian University Libraries (CAUL) OER Collective. https://doi.org/10.25918/text.495