Monitoring and research links
Scanning for kiwi
As a government department there are strong organisational controls regarding the work (e.g. strategic plans, business plans and standard operating procedures). These controls flow through to on-the-ground quality control and review.
The Strategic Plan and the monitoring process for Te Urewera Mainland Island are currently under review and from this review, it is likely that Strategic and Technical Advisory Groups will be established to help guide the project over the next ten years.
Within the project there is extensive monitoring of both the outcomes of management actions (i.e. the effect of pest control on native species) and also the standards of contracted workers. Further, field trials are peer-reviewed before implementation and the proposed formation of a Technical Advisory Group will aid in maintaining standards, especially in terms of scientific robustness.
Contracted workers are often selected through a tendering process that has strict ranking criteria and once employed, the ongoing auditing of contractors is a crucial component of quality control. Auditing techniques include the use of hand-held GPS units, field notes as well as on-site inspections. GPS tracking is one of the auditing tools pioneered in this project. Past audits have resulted in contract terminations.
There are strong links to Landcare Research, a Crown Research Institute, mainly through the use of the site to conduct research projects. In particular the Department and Landcare Research are collaborating on three Outcome-Based Investment (OBI) projects within which there are 13 Intermediate Outcome projects. Te Urewera Mainland Island is being used as a study site for the Intermediate Outcomes IO1 and IO2 in the Ecosystem Resilience OBI.
It is the intention of managers to strengthen the link between the project and academic institutions so as to encourage post-graduate students to use the site for research topics.
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