The Cook Islands National Statistics Office (CI NSO), in collaboration with the Central Policy and Planning Office (CPPO) of the Office of the Prime Minister, delivered the third iteration of the Working with Data Community of Practice (CoP 3). The programme brought together officers from across government agencies and non-government organisations to strengthen data capability and advance evidence-informed decision-making.

Building on earlier Communities of Practice, CoP 3 focused on developing practical skills in data preparation, analysis, interpretation, and visualisation. The programme was shaped by a pre-survey assessment of participant needs, complemented by targeted one-on-one consultations with selected agencies. These engagements identified key data challenges and priorities, ensuring the training was practical, relevant, and tailored to agency contexts.

Delivery of CoP 3 was funded by Statistics New Zealand (Stats NZ) and supported by the Pacific Data Hub of the Pacific Community (SPC). Alongside technical training, including Power BI, SPC also supported a scoping exercise to assess existing data governance arrangements across government. This work provided valuable baseline insights to inform the development of a future National Sustainable Development Agenda (NSDA) dashboard.

Collectively, these efforts strengthen the institutional foundations for high-quality data, coherent indicator frameworks, and credible national reporting in support of Te Ara Akapapa‘anga Nui – the National Sustainable Development Agenda (NSDA). The Working with Data Community of Practice forms part of a broader, sustained approach to building data capability across the public service and will continue to support collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement in the production and use of official data.

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