Deciding on action
This involves taking what we’ve learned and considering what we will do with the information and exploring alternatives. It is an ideal way to engage in cross-curricular learning – specifically the social science strands Place and Environment and Continuity and Change.
There is real potential to create opportunities for students to develop interviewing skills and co-operative skills, determine budgets, be creative and innovative, create technical plans and take action to become agents of change.
Deciding on action can take different forms. It can involve plans to initiate a local repo restoration project or join in with a community group. Alternatively, it can involve raising awareness of repo as significant ecosystems that need our protection.
Kapu tī 101 – cuppa teas and cross-cultural conversations (pages 13–22) in Te Reo o Te Repo – The Voice of the Wetland has excellent information regarding engagement with tangata whenua.
Resources
Environmental thinking and planning with ecosystem-based management (EBM) – activity
Eco-champions – PLD webinar
Communicating with scientists – interview techniques and protocols – activity
The Ethics thinking toolkit or the Futures thinking toolkit could be used to support students in their inquiries and decision making.
Questions to consider
Who uses or manages the repo that we’d like to restore?
Who do we need to involve?
Who do we need to consult before making decisions?
Are there tikanga or special customary traditions we need to follow?
What is our timeframe?
Is this a one-off action or do we need to plan for ongoing/future action?
What skills will we need?
If we are monitoring repo, what processes, methodologies or protocols do we need to follow to ensure that our actions provide quality data?
Who are the people who can help us with monitoring/restoration processes or protocols?
How will we store or analyse any data we collect?
Will the project require funding or other resources?
How can we obtain funding/resources?
How will our actions lead to the change we are seeking?
Acknowledgement: Researcher Yvonne Taura in wetland, © Yvonne Taura. Sourced from Te Reo o Te Repo – The Voice of the Wetland .
