He uaua te whāriki i te mātauranga me te mōhio whānuitanga ki te whakamahi ā-ringa nei i te tukanga pūtaiao, engari, he pit-omata tōna e takatū ake ai ngā pia ki ā rātou ake mahi ā haere ake nei. Mō te taha ki ngā kaipūtaiao whakarae, ko te mea nui kia mārama rātou ki tā te kaipūtaiao mahi i roto i te pāpori, ki ngā matatika, ki te ngākau tapatahi, ki ngā āhuatanga ōrite o te mahi kōkiri me te pūtaiao matua, ki te whakatau puehu, ki te horopaki ā-hītori, ki te mahi hoki a te whakaturehanga me ō te marea whakaaro. Ko te AQFI 301 Field Methods for Assessment of Fisheries and Aquatic Habitats tētahi kōhi tōpū kaha i te Whare Wānanga o Ōtākou e arō pū ana ki ō te rohenga mahi, e hora nei i te āheinga ki te tauira kia whakamahia te pūtaiao hei rongoā i ngā tino take, me te tautoko mai a te hapori. Ko te tūāpapa o te kōhi ko te houruatanga mauroa ā-rangahau, ko Te Tiaki Mahinga Kai, nā, e kōrero nei mō te whakangungu i ngā wāhi e kīia nei e te tikanga he wāhi kohi kai. I tēnei houruatanga ka mahi tahi te hapori me ngā kairuruku kia tautokohia te whaka-haere i te mahinga kaimoana tuku iho, ka mutu, ina whānui ake te titiro, te whakarauora i ngā pūnaha ā-pāpori, ā-hauropi anō hoki. Mā te tautoko i a Tangata Tiaki/Kaitiaki ¹ (ko ngā kaitiaki/kaiwhakahaere ā-mahinga kaimoana tuku iho kua whakaman-ahia ki te whakaturehanga) ka tūhono atu te kōhi ki te hapori whānui (p.m. ngā kaipāmu, ngā rōpu whāomoomo rānei), ki ngā mahi iho pū a te marae, a te hapū, a te whānau anō hoki i ngā hapori taiwhenua. Kua poua te kōhi rohenga ki te marae o Ngāi Tahu, ko tāna hoki he whakapuaki i ngā tikanga me ngā kawa o te marae, o te mahinga kaimoana anō hoki. Ka whakaakona houruatia te AQFI 301 me te hapori, nā, e hora nei ngā hua ki ngā tauira, ki te Whare Wānanga, ki ngā kaiuru anō hoki o te hapori. He rerekē tā AQFI 301 titiro ki te whakaako i te pūtaiao koiora moana ki ngā whare wānanga auraki, he aronga nōna ki ngā hiahia me ngā wawata o ngā ahikā Māori o te hapori, he whakamārama hoki nōna ki te tauira me pēhea te whakamahi i te pūtaiao i ngā horopaki mātinitini. He whakahirahira nei te taiao waimāori me te taiao moana ki te Māori, koia pū tā mātou titiro ki te whakatipu i ngā pia e taea ai e rātou te mahi tahi ki te Māori, ki hapori kē atu rānei, i runga i te kauanuanu, i te whai take anō hoki. Ko tēnei tuhinga, e whakatakoto nei i ngā tau-nahua o te whāngai i te tauira ki ngā pūkenga whai tikanga o te whakaako i te pūtaiao mātauranga matua, e whakamahuki nei i te houruatanga me te hapori hei whakaako i te pūtaiao ā-ringa, e whakamārama nei i ngā whakaritehanga mō te kōhi rohenga, e whakamahuki nei hoki i te kōhi rohenga ā-noho marae me te kōrero i ngā pānga ki ngā rōpū kaiuru, i ngā ngoikorehanga me ngā whakatau anō hoki.
Providing expertise and high-level understanding in the practical application of the scientific process is challenging but has the potential to better prepare graduates for future careers. The key for frontline scientists is to understand the role of a scientist in society including ethics and integrity, the interface between advocacy and primary science, conflict resolution, historical context, and the role of legislation and public opinion. AQFI 301 Field Methods for Assessment of Fisheries and Aquatic Habitats is an intensive field-focussed course at the University of Otago that provides students with an opportunity to apply science to real issues with the support of the community. The course is built on the long-standing research partnership Te Tiaki Mahinga Kai, which means, guarding the customary food gathering areas. In this partnership communities and researchers work together to support customary fisheries management and, more broadly, the restoration of social-ecological systems. By supporting Tangata Tiaki/Kaitiaki (legislatively empowered customary fishery managers/guardians) the course connects to the broader community (e.g. farmers, conservation groups) through the central role the marae (ancestral meeting house), hapū (subtribe) and whānau (families) play in many rural communities. The field course is based at a Ngāi Tahu marae (communal or sacred place) and provides an introduction to tikanga (custom) and kawa (protocol) at the marae and around fisheries. AQFI 301 is taught in partnership with the community, providing benefits to the students, the University and community participants. AQFI 301 takes a unique approach to teaching marine science in mainstream tertiary institutions as it is based on the needs and aspirations of local Māori communities and allows students to understand how science can be applied in different contexts. Freshwater and marine environments are of significant importance to Māori and this is our approach to building graduates who can work alongside Māori and other communities respectfully and in meaningful ways. This article outlines the challenge of providing practical skills to students in tertiary science teaching, describes a partnership with the community for teaching applied science, details the preparation for the field course, describes the noho marae-based field course and discusses the impacts on the participant groups, with limitations and conclusions.