Process Evaluation of the West Daly Peace Project

In early 2025, the Ground Up team at Charles Darwin University’s (CDU’s) Northern Institute were commissioned by the Community Justice Centre (CJC) of the Northern Territory’s (NT’s) Attorney General’s Department to evaluate the West Daly Peace Project. The West Daly Peace Project (2024–2026) is funded by the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) and the NT Attorney General’s Department. It aims to enhance local mediation and peacekeeping across the communities of Nauiyu, Peppimenarti, Nganmarriyanga, Wadeye, and their connected homeland areas. In mid-2025 the project transitioned from the CJC to management by the Aboriginal Justice Unit (AJU) within the NT Attorney General’s Department.

The Ground Up evaluation was initiated relatively early in the life of the West Daly Peace Project, reflecting a commitment to ongoing iterative learning as the project unfolded. The Ground Up team maintained close collaboration with the West Daly peacemaking team throughout, and together we supported the employment of local researchers, and shared insights relevant to both peacemaking and research practice. Both the Peace Project team and the local researchers had input into developing this final report.

The local researchers who guided this project were critical to all aspects of the work, including conceptualisation, design, on-ground facilitation and interpretation. Latisha Marranytya, Janine Cooper and Troy Mardigan guided the research in Nauiyu and Wadeye; Annunciata Wilson guided work in Peppimenarti; and Jack Wodidj and Melanie Cook were research leaders in Nganmarriyanga. Ground Up researcher Michaela Spencer worked across all four communities, collaborating with the research teams. She also worked with the local researchers and fellow Ground Up member Michael Christie around interpreting and collating findings.


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