Conducting Geographic Research with Consultation
What this standard assesses
This internal standard (5 credits) requires you to conduct geographic research with consultation. You plan, collect, analyse, present, conclude, and evaluate research on a geographic problem or question.
Core rules and concepts
- Start with an aim and hypotheses or research questions that are geographically significant.
- Consult stakeholders or community: iwi/hapū, council, residents, or land managers. Record who you consulted, why, and how their input changed your research.
- Use appropriate sampling: random, systematic, or stratified. Justify the method.
- Collect primary and/or secondary data; record methods, dates, and locations.
- Analyse data with graphs, maps, and statistics; link findings to the aim.
- Evaluate: reliability, validity, limitations, and ethical issues.
Worked example
Aim: assess whether foot traffic in a local reserve causes track erosion. Consultation with the council parks officer and a local care group identified high-use sections and sensitive plants. Method: stratified sampling by track surface - sealed, gravel, and root-covered. At each site, measure track width, depth, and vegetation cover; count users over three time periods. Results: gravel sections widened most; root sections had the least vegetation. Analysis links use intensity to erosion. Conclusion: erosion is concentrated where use and surface vulnerability coincide. Evaluation: small sample, one season, and observer bias limit reliability; consultation improved site selection but may have missed informal tracks.
Traps
- No evidence of consultation.
- Data collection with no link to the aim.
- Evaluation that lists limitations but does not explain their effect.
- Ignoring ethical or cultural considerations.
Keep a research log and justify every methodological choice.