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Fishing is part of the New Zealand way of life. Thousands of New Zealanders go fishing each year, putting more and more pressure on the resource. When we combine the effects of recreational, commercial and customary fishers on our fisheries, we can see the need for an effective management system to ensure the resource is maintained. This is the role of the Ministry of Fisheries (MFish).

Support material for the Social Studies topic activities
	Fact Sheets		Level One	Level Two
		The importance of the fishing industry to New Zealand
		Conserving our fisheries resources
		Figuring fish: A guide to marine fisheries research
		Maori Fisheries Today - Treaty of Waitangi issues
		Traditional Maori fisheries
		Pacific Islands fishing traditions
		Fishing methods
		History of fishing in New Zealand
		Let's go fishing
		What is marine biodiversity?
		Protecting our marine biodiversity
		Marine biodiversity research programmes
		Marine biosecurity management
		Marine pests in New Zealand
		Marine pests - Overviews
		The organisational structure of marine biosecurity in New Zealand
		How to help us
	Cartoons
		Polluted beach
		From fish to fish and chips
		Resource conflict
		Talking heads
	Game
		Master for simulation game

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Objectives Students will learn:
	People in different cultures have different beliefs about, and attitudes towards, their environment.
	Human activities have an effect on fisheries.
	Fishing is important to New Zealand.
	We must carefully manage the way New Zealand's fisheries resources are used if fish are to be available for future generations.
	MFish has a role in the conservation of fish stocks.
	Students themselves can play a part in conserving New Zealand's fish stocks.
	How and why people view and use resources differently and the consequences of this.

The activities on in this section will help students develop and practise a number of skills, including:
	Decision making skills:
		Devising models leading to solutions.
		Evaluating the effectiveness and consequences of possible decisions or solutions.
	Critical thinking skills:
		Comparing and contrasting information to make connections and generalisations.
		Making predictions and inferences.
		Identifying and analysing patterns, trends, and relationships.
		Applying theories and models.
	Values exploration skills:
		Explaining how values positions influence the ways people think, feel and act.
		Recognising and analysing stereotypes.
		Recognising values might change and give reasons for this.
	Communication skills:
		Recognising and using appropriate conventions for a range of communication modes.
	Social and co-operative skills:
		Demonstrating ability to compromise, negotiate, and collaborate.
		Reflecting upon and evaluating group processes.
		Selecting, planning, and implementing co-operative processes in order to complete a task.

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This resource looks at the significance of different values placed on fishing, seafood and conservation by different cultures within New Zealand e.g. Pakeha, Pacific Island, and Maori. The focus is on foreshore and coastal fishing.

Students will be introduced to the concepts of sustainability and conservation and will examine how some cultural behaviour cause conflict. They should be encouraged to look for culturally sensitive methods of co-operation.

Interaction
The intention is that a study of human interaction, and of interaction between people and their environment, will lead to a better understanding of human relationships.

This resource examines the interaction of people and fisheries resources and looks at how conflicting demands are made on the sea e.g. Pakeha-Maori, recreation - commercial etc. Students could look at why and how some immigrant groups have different attitudes towards fishing.

Students should be encouraged to see that conserving fish for future generations, while still meeting the needs of different cultural groups, requires co-operation and compromise.

Focusing questions
	How do ways of life differ and what can be discovered about human behaviour (including our own) through studying these differences?
	What seems to be some of the causes and effects of human interaction and of interaction between people and their environment?

Important ideas Some of the important ideas about human social behaviour illustrated by this resource include:
	Groups often have to compromise to meet common needs.
	Interaction between groups is expressed in many ways, e.g. conflict, competition and co-operation.
	All societies have ways of controlling the behaviour of their members.
	Cultures usually adapt their way of life to meet the demands of their environment.

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Relevant aspects of the theme "Conserving our fisheries resources" are:
	A study of the Treaty of Waitangi and the issues that have arisen out of it.
	A study of the changes in society within and beyond New Zealand today and in the past which have been brought about by the application of science and technology.
	A study of the ways some communities and cultural groups approach the use and conservation of natural resources.
	A study of the range of biodiversity and biosecurity issues affecting the marine environment.

Focusing questions
	What current fisheries issues arise out of the Treaty?
	What have been the impacts of technological changes on fisheries and fisheries management?
	What natural resources are important for different communities and cultures?
	What effects do the use of natural resources have on the resources themselves and on the environment?
	How have individuals and groups responded to these effects?
	What are some of the major challenges and crises facing out management and conservation of fish today?
	What measures have been developed to ensure the sustainability of fish for future generations?

On to Activity Descriptions on Page 2

The economics section is based on material originally prepared by Phil Stewart and Mary Morel and subsequently updated.
Unless otherwise stated all photographs in the economics section are provided courtesy of NIWA.