Learning pathway

This pathway is for people who want to build practical GIS capability rather than read MāoriGIS.nz topic by topic. Use one real place and one real question wherever possible. Each stage should produce something tangible before moving on.

Pathway at a glance

Stage	Main skill	Finish with
1	define the kaupapa	one clear mapping or research question
2	use QGIS	a saved project containing useful layers
3	find and assess data	a short source register with limitations recorded
4	create local data	one well-structured project layer
5	collect or check in the field	observations linked back to stable IDs
6	work with historical evidence	a source-linked research log
7	analyse and interpret	a derived result that remains traceable to source data
8	communicate and sustain the mahi	a useful output plus enough documentation for the next kaimahi

1. Define the kaupapa

Start with Start here. Write down one question that GIS may help answer. Keep it specific enough that you will know when the work is finished.

Examples include:

• Which public hazard and terrain information should we examine before a papakāinga discussion?
• Where have restoration teams worked along this awa and when were sites last checked?
• Which historical place references can be located with enough evidence to map?
• What public and local information would make a useful marae emergency map?

Before moving on, record the intended audience and whether any information needs a less precise or restricted representation.

2. Build a working QGIS project

Use the QGIS practical course if GIS is new. If you want a prepared offline starting point, use the Matawhenua GIS Starter Kit.

Finish this stage with a project that:

• opens without missing layers
• uses a suitable CRS for the mahi
• has a clear project folder
• contains only layers that help answer the question
• can be understood when reopened later

The goal is not to learn every QGIS tool. It is to become comfortable enough to organise and inspect spatial evidence.

3. Find and assess sources

Use GIS data for Aotearoa and the Geospatial Data Catalogue. Start with the question rather than the agency.

For each important source record:

• source organisation or knowledge holder
• dataset/document name
• date or version
• purpose
• authority type for this question
• known limitation
• source reference

Use Provenance and source checking for the common structure.

Finish this stage with a small source register. Five appropriate layers with good provenance are better than fifty unexplained downloads.

4. Create one local project layer

Create a layer that belongs to the actual mahi rather than merely displaying somebody else's data. It could contain project sites, field observations, access evidence, candidate place names, restoration areas or assets.

Use stable identifiers such as site_id, asset_id, evidence_id or place_id. Keep evidence and interpretation in separate fields where that distinction matters.

Finish with one layer whose fields another person could understand without asking what Field7 means.

5. Take the GIS outside

Use Field GIS when the work involves observations, photographs, assets, restoration, maintenance or inspections.

Keep stable sites separate from repeat visits. Record checking dates and device accuracy where location quality matters. Collect only fields that will actually be reviewed or used.

The Marae emergency map and Awa restoration examples show practical field structures.

Finish this stage with field information that links cleanly back to the main GIS.

6. Work with history

Use Historical research and Archives to map when evidence sits in reports, plans, Māori Land Court material, historical imagery or archives.

The central discipline is simple: never let the mapped feature become detached from the source page, plan or record that supports it.

Use Local AI to retrieve candidates from large document sets where useful, but keep the source passage and page as evidence. Use Georeferencing historical maps when a scanned map adds geographic evidence.

Finish this stage with a research log in which mapped and unmapped candidates remain traceable to their sources.

7. Analyse without hiding the reasoning

Use spatial analysis only when it helps answer the question. Common patterns include intersections, distances, catchment relationships, change through time and simple summaries.

Keep original source layers separate from derived results. Record important processing steps and avoid replacing understandable evidence with a black-box score unless the method genuinely requires one and can be explained.

The Worked examples deliberately show comparison tables and evidence registers rather than pretending the software has made the decision.

Finish this stage with a result that can be reproduced or at least audited.

8. Communicate and sustain the mahi

Use Cartography and map communication, Maps for hui and wānanga and Publishing to make an output suited to its audience.

The output may be an A3 map, field map, source-linked research layer, GeoPackage, PDF, StoryMap or internal web map. Different audiences may need different levels of detail.

Before finishing, make sure the next kaimahi can find:

• the source material
• the working data
• the GIS project
• the output
• the source/provenance record
• unresolved questions

Use Start or strengthen an iwi or hapū GIS, GIS succession and The one-person GIS when the work needs to become repeatable organisational practice.

Choose a complete project

Once the eight stages make sense, use a Worked example end to end:

• papakāinga investigation
• marae emergency mapping
• historical ingoa wāhi
• awa restoration
• landlocked whenua
• historical change

The examples show their tables and checking structures on the page. There are no synthetic template packs to download.

Last reviewed: 4 September 2026