Biculturalism and Problem-Solving Techniques in Engineering
Key Biculturalism Concepts:
Tikanga – Appropriate way to act. Mana – Status, worth, value. Individual = Community. Tapu – Taboo. Noa – Free from taboo, without restriction. Utu – Relationship restoration. Whanaungatanga – Family connection. Manaakitanga – Generosity, hospitality. Kaitiakitanga – Guardianship, stewardship. Matauranga Maori – Maori knowledge. Whakapapa – Knowledge collection for future use. Mahinga Kai – Value of food resources and ecosystems. Understanding of whakapapa is crucial to understand the history and genealogy of the people (gives perspective) and understand protocols.
Possible Mistakes:
Lack of respect, not consulting early enough, not considering values, not being clear about the reason for information, not being clear about next steps and understanding. The first port of call should be local marae(s). Maori are a mandated partner under the RMA. They want to look after the environment and ensure a good life for future generations. Early engagement, understanding perspectives, and compromise lead to success.
Must consider diversity throughout the process and ensure diversity is sustained. Use local experience wherever possible. Need to adapt communications so they work for everyone involved.
Kepner Tregoe:
Use in the testing process.
- List all solutions.
- Ensure each meets “must have” criteria.
- Rank “want to have” criteria.
- Score each solution on soft constraints.
- Add up scores and compare solutions.
Useful as a tool for objective decision-making but due to soft constraints (subjective) can be (un)consciously biased.
Report Writing:
Reports should clearly and concisely communicate ideas, results, and conclusions. A typical report has a title page, summary, table of contents, introduction, background information/theory, experiments and testing, results, discussion, conclusion, references, and appendices.
Summary – Briefly summarizes the report and background information and clearly shows the solution. Technical/background includes the definition of success, key problem areas, and a review of prior related knowledge. Conclusion – Cover important points, be concise and clear, can be bulleted, needs an introduction and conclusion, only mention points discussed earlier.
Paragraphs should have 5-6 sentences and cover one idea. Writing should be formal, avoid first person, use active verbs, and past tense. Maintain all key information. No contractions, no “to be/to have” verbs. Common errors in writing – too much background information, incorrect verb tense, no evidence provided, run-on sentences, personal pronouns, and contractions.
Tables and figures should be referenced before use and need a caption. Used to condense information of various types with a common unit. Graphs/figures work if it requires visual representation and the information is of one type. The caption goes below the figure and is a detailed phrase. Potential errors with a graph – figure reference in the paragraph, figure caption below, informative title, x and y-axis labels, verb tense, punctuation in the figure caption and incomplete sentence, scaling of the y-axis, font sizes, border, centered figure, and line on the y-axis.
Problem Solving:
It is important to consult with other experts. Use tools to define success.
Duncker Diagram helps to think of a problem in more than one way. Has two sides (present state suitable, change situation to achieve the desired state), then general solutions (what to do) and specific solutions (how to do it).
Fishbone Diagram shows causes and effects for complex problems.
Mind Maps are good for organizing ideas, constraints, structuring solutions, and problems with multiple contributing factors. Non-technical problem components: Resource/environmental, social, political.
Motueka Wastewater Treatment Plant Case Study:
Wastewater is tapu (restricted), the goal of treatment is to make it noa (free) so it can be released into the environment. Releasing untreated water could affect mahinga kai (food gathering) activities. 12 different iwi groups were consulted. Summer population = 15,000 people, winter population = 8,000. Wetlands weren’t sealed, leading to wastewater leaking onto the foreshore.
Problem: Resource consent expiring and wastewater treatment and disposal wasn’t good enough. Population doubles in summer, already had a 6-year extension and 6 months to get consent.
Success: Resource consent.
Constraints: Constructability, financial viability, tolerate flow rates, sufficient treatment, accepted by the local community, wastewater flow rate, and contaminant concentrations. The oxidation pond attracts sunlight which helps treatment (was full of sludge). Waves crash onto wetlands, leading to uncontrolled wastewater.
Cost was minimized to revise the existing plant.
Treatment solutions: Sludge oxidation point, expand oxidation pond treatment, UV disinfection, membrane filtration.
Disposal solutions: Land application of treated wastewater, river outfall discharge, ocean outfall discharge.
Find solutions and test: Pond-based wastewater system treatment caused secondary problems, so new treatment and disposal solutions were needed. Used as many existing treatment systems as possible to keep it affordable.
Build and deliver: Getting consent, preliminary design, assessment of environmental effects, detailed design (multidisciplinary), health and safety, procurement, and ready to construct.
Operation: Commissioning, maintenance, repairs, and upgrades.
End of life: Decommissioning, demolition, pipework removal, and seawater and groundwater inflow incorporated into the contract.