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Last reviewed: 16 August 2026

GIS succession

GIS succession is not just handing over files.

A working Māori GIS carries technical knowledge, data whakapapa, organisational history and relationships with people who may have shared information under particular conditions.

If those things are not transferred, a new mapper can inherit terabytes of data and still lose the capability.

What needs to survive​

Think about succession across five areas.

Kaupapa​

The next person needs to understand:

  • what the GIS is actually for
  • which work is important now
  • what the organisation chose not to map
  • what unfinished decisions still matter

Data whakapapa​

For important layers, preserve:

  • source
  • date
  • why the data was created
  • who was involved
  • transformations and corrections
  • known disagreements or uncertainty
  • restrictions on use

Tikanga and authority​

The successor needs to know:

  • which information is sensitive
  • whose mandate applies
  • which layers require review before use
  • which material was shared for one kaupapa only
  • where to seek guidance rather than making a technical assumption

Technical operation​

Transfer:

  • storage locations
  • account administration
  • licences
  • backups
  • publishing workflows
  • scheduled tasks
  • APIs and integrations
  • scripts worth keeping

Relationships​

Where appropriate, introduce the successor to:

  • internal kaitiaki and reviewers
  • kaumātua or knowledge holders involved in ongoing mahi
  • council GIS contacts
  • partner organisations
  • suppliers
  • consultants

Do not treat those relationships as entries in a contact list.

Build succession before somebody leaves​

The best handover is continuous.

Useful habits include:

  • two people attending important workflow sessions
  • shared administrator roles
  • source registers maintained during the project
  • short project readmes
  • another person occasionally producing a standard map
  • annual recovery tests
  • regular demonstrations at team meetings

If succession begins on a person's last afternoon, much of the useful context is already at risk.

Use a succession pack​

Keep one small pack that can be updated over time.

Suggested contents:

GIS succession pack
  01 Start here
  02 Systems and accounts
  03 Important datasets
  04 Restricted information notes
  05 Publishing and approvals
  06 Backups and recovery
  07 Key relationships
  08 Current work and known issues

Do not put passwords in an ordinary document. Point to the approved credential-management process.

Record why, not just how​

A technical handover often says:

Run model X, export layer Y, publish to group Z.

A useful succession note also says:

  • why the model exists
  • why a layer is generalised
  • why a particular source was rejected
  • why one dataset must not leave the organisation
  • why a public map deliberately excludes certain places

Those reasons prevent a future person from fixing an intentional decision.

Transfer approval pathways​

A new GIS person may know how to publish technically before they know who has the mandate to approve publication.

Make approval pathways explicit for:

  • public maps
  • cultural information
  • partner data sharing
  • reports or submissions
  • web services
  • imagery from private whenua

This is particularly important when organisational roles and tikanga authority are not the same thing.

Preserve relationships with source organisations​

Some useful datasets arrive through relationships rather than public downloads.

Keep notes about:

  • what was supplied
  • by whom
  • under what conditions
  • whether updates are expected
  • whether the relationship permits onward sharing

A file forwarded without that context can easily be reused outside the original agreement.

Contractor succession​

If a consultant or contractor has built the GIS, succession must be part of the contract rather than an optional final meeting.

Require delivery of:

  • editable source data
  • project files
  • styles
  • metadata
  • scripts and configuration
  • account ownership or transfer
  • documentation of dependencies
  • licence information
  • data created during the work
  • clear deletion or return arrangements for Māori-held information

See Consultants and contracts.

Test the handover​

The strongest test is practical.

Ask somebody other than the main mapper to:

  1. open the primary GIS project
  2. locate the important source data
  3. export a standard map
  4. identify which layers are restricted
  5. explain where the current public map comes from
  6. find the backup and describe how recovery works

Any step that depends on asking the absent expert is a succession gap.

When knowledge cannot simply be handed over​

Some relationships or knowledge may not transfer automatically to a new staff member.

A change in personnel can require renewed whakawhanaungatanga, explanation of kaupapa or a new decision about access.

Do not assume that because the former employee had access, the next employee inherits exactly the same cultural authority.

Technical access and tikanga authority are different things.

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