Kia pono te mahi putaiao-doing science in the right spirit

Over the past two decades the challenges facing environmental and natural resource managers have become more complex. Natural resources are more contested and degraded, and as a result stakeholders are increasingly involved in their management. Single-issue management is often not proving effective. Policymakers, industry sectors, indigenous groups, communities and scientists alike have to recognise the interlinked nature of many apparent resource use problems. Successful outcomes are increasingly dependent on the coordinated actions of decision makers operating at many different levels and scales. Consequently, many viewpoints and sources of information have to be shared among the different stakeholders involved, and integrated to find solutions that will guide the way forward. Multi-stakeholder research approaches that facilitate the wide involvement of people in problem solving and decision making with respect to issues and plans which impact on them are becoming widespread. Transdisciplinary research approaches such as sustainability science, post-normal science and complexity science all call for more inclusive inquiry where local and other knowledge systems collaborate with science in research. The ownership of resulting knowledge production and ensuing management efforts are wider and can more adequately address issues of sustainability.