Adele Whyte: Encouraging science in youth

Dr Adele Whyte

I love science and discovering new information about the world around us. My love of genetics was born when my baby brother was born - when I was 11 years old. He had brown eyes and I had blue, a simple explanation from my mother had opened me up to a whole new world and I was hooked.

As a kid, I always cared about the environment and thus gaining a doctorate in environmental toxicology was something that really interested me.

I researched how greenshell mussels process heavy metals from their environment, looking at both the genes involved and the proteins produced.

I also assessed possible negative human health effects that could be caused from consumption of contaminated shellfish. I had the pleasure of working with whanau, marae and hapu based in the beautiful Bay of Islands.

For my Masters research I traced the ancestry of Maori and Polynesians into Melanesia and Taiwan, using a specific type of DNA that is passed on from mothers to their children (mitochondrial DNA). From this research I was able to estimate the approximate number of Maori women who founded the initial population of Maori in New Zealand, using the frequencies of unique markers found and a range of computer simulations.

Even though I was studying in a very "Western" framework of science, my upbringing and Maori influences in my life had a very real effect on what I studied, why I studied it and my teaching style. I wanted to do something that was relevant to Maori and that was practical in some sense.

I wanted to give something back to the university and wider community, and I was a founding member of Te Ropu Awhina Putaiao in 2000.

The kaupapa (purpose) of Awhina is "to produce Maori and Pacific scientists, technologists, engineers, architects and designers who will contribute to Maori and Pacific community development and leadership".

The programme has grown spectacularly, because Awhina has now been operating for 16 years and has contributed to the successful graduation of more than 1000 students, including 33 PhDs and nine post-doctorates. I'm proud to be an Awhina alumni and have continued to supervise students while working for my iwi.

Our Maori youth have a natural "tutu" element and there is huge potential for them to discover new and innovative solutions for the future, an exciting thought for generations to come.

Dr Adele Whyte is the chief executive officer for Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated.