Student invite

Please join us!

Are you considering doing a research project  as part of your polytech/wānanga course, or an Honours, Masters or PhD thesis at University on a topic related to mahinga kai?  More senior students may also wish to apply for Postdoctoral fellowships to work on our kaupapa.  Some of you may wish to join as a summer student intern to check us out before committing to a long research project.  Also some students doing existing postgraduate training (like the University of Otago's Postgraduate Diploma of Wildlife Management) that require practical placements in real-life work situations.  If you would like to work with a Māori community on kaitiakitanga issues or with our researchers for such a placement, let us know.

What ever stage you are at, we'll help you define a suitable research topic about mahinga kai, try to help you find a research supervisor and if possible to get some funding to meet your costs.

Students based anywhere within Aotearoa are welcome

 Te Tiaki Mahinga Kai started at the University of Otago, so most of the students and staff are still from there.  But the vision is to have it working throughout Aotearoa, so we would love students and supervisors based at other wānanga to join in.  The more Universities and Polytechs contribute, the more likely it is that a local hapū or iwi can  form an excellent and trusted collaboration. 

Getting started

Download the student Tautoko Tauira on how to make contact and set your direction if you are a Polytech/wānanga, Honours, Masters or PhD student.  Postdoctoral Fellows should contact the most relevant member of the research team (see our Rogues Gallery under Research Team in the 'About us' menu) to sort out mentors and research topics.

Contact Nicola Morand, the  student co-ordinator for further information nicola.morand@otago.ac.nz

Students are currently being sought for the following specific research topics

Of course we will support you in your own research topic/passion if at all possible.  But research on the following topics are currently at the planning stage and we'd particularly welcome inquiries about those:

• Māori and the Resource Management Act:  The Cawthron Institute and University of Otago are teaming up to develop tools to have Māori values better heard in RMA processes.  The team is looking for Masters or PhD students to start as soon as possible.  Contact Dr Janet Stephenson if you are interested in linking into that project. js@geography.otago.ac.nz
• Toheroa research:  Te Tiaki Mahinga kai will soon initiate a study of threats to Murihiku toheroa customary harvesting.  Research themes will include traditional monitoring methods, escapement and damage to kohanga sites (near the high tide mark) by vehicles.  Contact Henrik Moller if you are interested in that topic. (03) 479-9244 or (027) 226-8688 or Email to henrik.moller@otago.ac.nz.

Student professional practice placements

Postgraduate Wildlife Management students from Otago University are available to Tangata Kaitiaki for six weeks placements.  Other Universities and wānanga run similar placements as part of their training programmes.

  
The Practice of Wildlife Management Placement scheme:
Postgraduate Diploma of Wildlife Management students are available to suitable hosts to do a six-week ‘Practice of Wildlife Management’ (WLM403) placement.

The Placement is meant to be a mutually beneficial exchange where the hosts (that’s you) get skilled help with one of their current projects, and the student learns what it is like to work in “the real world.”

What is required from you?
No money is required, but appreciated if available. Students earn University credits through the placement, but receive no funding from the University! Some students can work for free, while others might need support. Te Tiaki Mahinga Kai is available to help identify and apply for grants.

The host and student are expected to jointly identify a specific project to work on, and the student will be required to write a short report or plan at the end of the placement.

The host organization is asked to help assess the students’ performance. See the Student Assessment and Student Guidelines for details. It should take the host less than one hour to complete these requirements.

What are the deadlines?
No hard deadlines exist. Students generally work over the summer months and will be looking to line up placements in July. Others are interested in placements through the fall and spring semesters. Please indicate your interest as early as possible.

What type of skills do the students have?
Qualified students will have at least 3 years learning at Bachelors level (usually in ecology and geography), and by the time they reach you, another year of specialist wildlife management and research training.

Some may have several years of practical experience in wildlife management and research as well and have just returned to University to earn the advanced degree.

The skills and attributes identified for students fall into three categories:

Thinking about Learning

Graduates will be critical thinkers with an appreciation of rigour and the ability to apply sound scientific method and evaluation of evidence. They will be life-long learners and problem solvers, able to manage in the face of uncertainty and constraints.

Personal skills 

Graduates will have proficiency at communication (speaking, writing, presenting, debating), study design and data interpretation, and will appreciate adaptive management frameworks as ways of knowing. They will function well in teams, yet be able to work independently and to deadlines. They will understand the differences and common ground between managers, scientists and educationalists, and be able to work with communities and resource users. They will be able to apply the scientific process in a wildlife management and research context, including the skills of analysis, critique, synthesis, and problem solving.

Specific knowledge

Graduates will possess skills in the collection, manipulation, analysis and presentation of quantitative data, and in particular understanding of techniques for abundance estimation, biodiversity assessment, predator control and pest management, radio-tracking and analysis of spatial data. In addition they will have a developed understanding of the processes of species recovery, harvest management and pest control, including the interactions between society, policy, science and adaptive management. They will understand the principles, uses and limitations of: mark-recapture analysis for survival estimation; resource selection studies; population viability analysis; captive-breeding and reintroduction. They will be comfortable using a variety of computer-based techniques to locate and use information, to manage and analyses data, and to present findings of such investigations.

These attributes encompass those identified as essential competencies by the NZ Department of Conservation (DOC), and indicated by DOC and Landcare staff during informal surveys as needing to be taught within the Otago Postgraduate Diploma in Wildlife Management. They overlap significantly with the Generic Graduate Attributes for the Otago University BSc (Honours). The feedback available from the Graduate Opinion Survey 2006 suggests that these attributes accord well with those identified by students as being developed by the course.

Potential work for the students’ placement in Te Tiaki Mahinga Kai

The Wildlife Management students will be skilled in the following types of exercises that you might like to dial up for them while based in your team:

• Designing and conducting stock assessments
• Capture, handling and tagging of animals
• Surveys of fish offtake from m_taitai, tai_pure and r_hui
• Habitat mapping
• Literature review
• Analysis of historical databases
• Helping set up record keeping and databases
• Report writing, preparing PowerPoint presentations and posters
• Preparing material for websites and pamphlets, educational resources

…. these are just suggestions – discuss your needs with the student and the course director, Dr Phil Seddon to get the best match of project to fit your needs and the strengths of the student.

If the project you have in mind requires two students, why not invite a pair to join and support each other in the mahi?