EcoQuest Education Foundation
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Mission Statement
The EcoQuest Education Foundation Te Rarangahau Taiao The EcoQuest Vision - Tō tātou Manako me tō tātou Putanga Catalysts for Sustainability through Education and Research. Our Mission is to: • achieve sustainable outcomes through developing awareness of the relationships between the natural and built environments and people and their cultural, social, economic and political realities • enrich our place and our people through service learning / community engagement • encourage development of the heart and the spirit as well as the mind and body • foster global stewardship through international education EcoQuest has a dual focus of education and research. This, coupled with a strong emphasis on and commitment to service learning, provides students with opportunities for learning through real-life case studies and research. Rigorous academic pursuit and hands-on learning are embedded within the community, providing an exciting, genuine New Zealand education experience. The basis for the EcoQuest philosophy is the idea that sustainability can be achieved only when the natural environment, people and their culture, their socio-political, as well as economic realities and needs are taken into consideration. This is reflected in the interdisciplinary nature of the programs, which provide students with a unique opportunity to experience first-hand how planning, policy and science interact in real world settings.
About This Cause
International Education EcoQuest occupies a unique place in the landscape of international education through direct partnerships. It is important for EcoQuest, when catering for international students, to provide a business model that honours our place and people. Rather than host overseas education providers, EcoQuest is the provider. EcoQuest is a homegrown initiative. We develop and own our programmes, our Charitable Trust is registered in New Zealand, and we are registered as a Private Training Establishment in Aotearoa. Programmes are delivered in close collaboration with offshore partners that support this model. ECOQUEST-UNH PROGRAMMES Our primary partner, since 1999 (21 years, kia ora!) is the University of New Hampshire (UNH). Our long-running semester (15 weeks, twice a year) and ‘summer’ (5 weeks in the New Zealand winter, once a year) programmes are developed and owned by EcoQuest and are offered in partnership with the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment (DNRE), UNH. Courses in Ecology, Restoration Ecology, Resource Management and Environmental Policy, and Directed Research are delivered in an interdisciplinary and rigorous academic framework. The catch-phrase ‘Ecology in Action’ is a fitting description for the programmes we have run for 21 years. The EcoQuest Ecology in Action Aotearoa semester programmes are delivered from the mountains to the sea in a variety of ecosystems in both te Ika a Maui (the North Island) and te Waipounamu (the South Island). The summer programme is delivered in the North Island only and primary delivery sites for extended field trips are three or four islands in Tikapa Moana the Hauraki Gulf. Our interactive field-based programmes incorporate hands-on, experiential learning opportunities. EcoQuest gives students the chance to gain and develop transferable knowledge and skills to make a difference anywhere on the globe. Directed research projects (semester only) are comprehensive field-based studies that equip students with the knowledge and skills required to become effective, modern researchers. All research projects have scientific and societal relevance. Projects are designed to enable students to provide a significant contribution to long-term research, and to take ownership of projects benefiting the environment, partners, and the local community. In 2020 we launched our Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Aotearoa (SAFSA) 15-week semester. This programme is offered in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Nutrition and Food Systems (ANFS), UNH. The SAFSA semester is a natural extension of, and in many ways has grown out of, our Ecology in Action programmes. Our vision, ‘catalysts for sustainability through education and research’, demands that we take a full view of resource management and sustainable futures in New Zealand, and indeed in the world. Agriculture is a main driver for the New Zealand economy, and issues related to land use and sustainability are in the news every day. The need for sustainability, resilience and climate-smart food systems stimulates innovation and development at a variety of scales in New Zealand. The uniquely Aotearoa business ethos and models of ownership inspired by the Māori agribusiness sector not only gain uptake within Aotearoa but attract international attention as well. The SAFSA programme is delivered in Te Tau Ihu o Te Waka a Māui (Top of the South Island). Our home base will be in the Nelson/Tasman region Wakatū/ Te Tai o Aorere. We start and finish the programme in Golden Bay, based at the Sandcastle in Pohara, near Takaka. This allows students to develop a sense of home. Our field trips and farm placements take us to the Tasman/Nelson area, Marlborough and north-Canterbury. Agricultural practices are diverse and include fruit, vegetables, vineyards, forestry, and aquaculture. We make the most of the thriving, innovative food entrepreneurs - and of agribusiness at a variety of scales. To provide the opportunities to gain hard skills, practical experiences, capacity for analysis and investigation, and chances to increase competency in farm and food systems related work, students engage in on-farm / agribusiness placements for a total of 20 working days (2 periods of two weeks each, with two different farm placements) as part of the programme. Who are our learners? Programmes are open to motivated students from around the world; our core market is the US. All EcoQuest-UNH students are registered for academic credit through UNH (students enrol at UNH for one semester) and this credit may be transferred directly to the participant’s home institution. Typically, many of our Ecology in Action students are enrolled in environmental science, sustainability & resource management, or related undergraduate degree programmes. Most of our SAFSA students come from sustainable agriculture, nutrition and business majors. We absolutely encourage and welcome students from different backgrounds and disciplines to join the EcoQuest-UNH programmes, since sustainable futures require interdisciplinary approaches, and learning in a team with a mix of skills and interests, is a rewarding and rich experience. Approximately half of all EcoQuest students are enrolled at UNH - the remaining students have come from more than 90 different universities and colleges throughout the USA. In 2019, we reached the milestone of 1000 students who studied ecology, restoration and environmental policy in Aotearoa in EcoQuest programmes. EcoQuest Learning Journeys EcoQuest programmes are carefully designed and offer authentic learning opportunities and experiences. We invite students into our professional and personal networks. True place-based, interdisciplinary learning underpins our education and enhances all learning experiences, including research and farm placements. o Embedded in community and fostering collaborative relationships o Vibrant sustainable learning community o Flexible, agile and topical o Integrated, place-based, investigative learning o We work from the mountains to the sea o Foster intellectual curiosity, critical thinking and problem-solving mindset o Cater for a variety of learning-styles o Team-work and collaborative engagements o Real-time, meaningful research and partner engagement o All skills necessary to carry out field work / farm placement work are taught o All resources to fully participate in the programmes are provided o High staff:student ratios for all field work, praxis and research, ensuring quality work is achieved at every step Students gain increased cultural awareness and understanding, and an increased ability to work and build professional relationships across disciplines as well as in plural societies. Students experience profound and transformative learning in a stimulating setting, and further develop their creative problem-solving mindset using real-time issues and case studies. EcoQuest is a home-grown initiative and provides a true Aotearoa New Zealand experience. The main language of instructions is English, but students learn the basics of Te Reo Māori, tikanga and kawa so they can participate fully in formal and informal gatherings at marae in various locations in the country. When students (reluctantly!) leave EcoQuest, they have been fully immersed in our place and our culture, and they leave something of themselves behind: our place and our people are by enriched by the efforts of our students, and our students have unique experiences and connections to draw on. Monitoring and Research EcoQuest has a long track record (20+ years) of high quality ecological monitoring and research. Our expertise, from one-off inventory work to longitudinal research engagements is well-regarded. We are happy to discuss with clients to design studies that suit their specific needs, questions and plans. Examples of projects carried out include; • Population dynamics of Hochstetter’s Frog • Acoustic monitoring of long-tailed bats and locating roosts in the Hūnua Ranges Regional Park, Auckland. • The response of giant carnivorous kauri snail populations to forest restoration projects at Waipoua, Northland. • Water Quality Monitoring to Assess Stream Health • An assessment of invertebrate diversity and relative abundance at a restoration site adjacent to Lake Waikare, Waikato (component of a water quality management project). • Fish Community Assessment Following Fish-Passage Enhancement of culverts in the Southern Hūnua Ranges • Coastal Bird Surveys for Project Parore • Long-term dynamics of the Pūkorokoro wetland in response to climate change • Hauraki Gulf Shellfish Monitoring Project • The Warrenheip Native Forest: ecological research in a restored landscape free of mammalian pests: monitoring populations of wētā, plant species composition, water quality. • Tangikaroro Project - restoration potential and inventory monitoring See our website here for further details. Partners and Communities of Interest EcoQuest has a considerable commitment to, and invests heavily in, community and research collaborations. EcoQuest has long-standing relationships with a number of collaborators and parners, including: Ngāti Paoa & Ngāti Whanaunga Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust Warrenheip Reserve Pūkorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre Kaiaua Primary School Tangikaroro Restoration Project Private landowners in the Auckland and Waikato regions Department of Conservation Hauraki Gulf Forum Auckland Council Waikato Regional Council Researchers at New Zealand Universities and Crown Research Institutes In the past 3-4 years, through our research activities, we have developed relationships with the restoration and research group for Lake Waikare (Waikato): Ngā Muka Ltd, Nikau whanau, Centre for Integrated Biowaste Research (CIBR) Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR), Te Riu o Waikato Ltd As well as with: Communities, farms and agribusiness in Te Tau Ihu the Top of the South Western Firth Catchment Group (Hauraki) Waipoua Forest Trust (Northland)