Engineering Decision Making in Aotearoa introduces students to some of the key frameworks utilised within Aotearoa New Zealand for the assessment of complex engineering projects. The course provides students with knowledge of the frameworks and their applications while utilising authentic learning practices to facilitate first-hand experience with effective community engagement and relationship building.
By the end of the course, students will be able to apply contextually informed reasoning (local knowledge, mātauranga Māori, alternate world views) to assess the wider impacts of complex engineering projects (societal, health, safety, legal, environmental and cultural). Students will be able to employ these skills to quantify the direct/indirect and short/long-term impacts on people, and the environment, identifying and justifying specific actions required. These skills will be contextualised within the Aotearoa New Zealand context, with emphasis on Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Mauri Model Decision Making Framework and the Treasury's Living Standards Framework.
While academically focused, this course is designed to challenge students to think holistically, and provide them with the critical thinking skills and confidence to communicate effectively, support principles of co-design, and take into account multiple perspectives in the assessment of engineering projects and outcomes. By the end of the course, students will be able to demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of the differences between stakeholder and mana whenua worldviews, which is utilised to inform integrated sustainability assessments incorporating different and competing priorities.