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Tara McAllister

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Tara G McAllister
Alma materUniversity of Canterbury
AwardsZonta Science Award (2022)
Royal Society Te Apārangi Te Kōpūnui Māori Research Award (2022)
Scientific career
FieldsFreshwater ecology, mātauranga Māori
InstitutionsUniversity of Auckland
Thesis
Academic advisorsSusie Wood, Ian Hawes

Tara G McAllister is a New Zealand freshwater ecology academic and is associated with Te Pūnaha Matatini at the University of Auckland.[1] She is a Māori of Te Aitanga ā Māhaki, Ngāti Porou, and European descent.

Academic career

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McAllister's 2018 freshwater ecology[2] PhD titled 'Phormidium accrual cycles in Canterbury rivers: the effects of nutrients and flow' at the University of Canterbury, looked at the cyanobacteria Phormidium in predominantly braided rivers in South Canterbury.[3] She then moved to the University of Auckland.[1] In 2021 McAllister received a MBIE Science Whitinga Fellowship.[4]

McAllister's specialties include cyanobacteria in freshwater, mātauranga Māori and co-development of research with iwi,[5][1] and has been used as an expert in media discussion on water toxicity[6][7] and water shortage issues.[8]

With Sereana Naepi and others, she has published a series of papers on biases in New Zealand universities, particularly racial and gender biases, which have received wide attention.[9][10][11][12][13]

When a group of seven professors at the University of Auckland published a letter stating that mātauranga Māori (the traditional knowledge of the Maori people) was not science,[14] McAllister said "we did not navigate to Aotearoa on myths and legends. We did not live successfully in balance with the environment without science. Māori were the first scientists in Aotearoa."[15] The Tertiary Education Union,[16] Royal Society Te Apārangi[17] and New Zealand Association of Scientists[18] and their own vice-chancellor[19][20] were also critical of the letter. However, some prominent New Zealand and overseas scientists publicly supported the letter.[21][22]

Awards

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In 2022, McAllister was awarded the 17th Biennial Zonta Science Award.[23] In November of the same year McAllister was awarded the Royal Society Te Apārangi Te Kōpūnui Māori Research Award "for research into the underrepresentation and undervaluing of Māori academics".[24]

Selected works

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  • McAllister, Tara G., Susanna A. Wood, and Ian Hawes. "The rise of toxic benthic Phormidium proliferations: a review of their taxonomy, distribution, toxin content and factors regulating prevalence and increased severity." Harmful Algae 55 (2016): 282–294.
  • McAllister, T. G.,J. Kidman, O. Rowley, and R. F. Theodore. "Why isn't my professor Māori?" Mai Journal 8, no. 2 (2019): 235–249.
  • Wood, Susanna A., Craig Depree, Logan Brown, Tara McAllister, and Ian Hawes. "Entrapped sediments as a source of phosphorus in epilithic cyanobacterial proliferations in low nutrient rivers." PLoS One 10, no. 10 (2015): e0141063.
  • Naepi, Sereana, Tara G. McAllister, Patrick Thomsen, Marcia Leenen-Young, Leilani A. Walker, Anna L. McAllister, Reremoana Theodore, Joanna Kidman, and Tamasailau Suaaliia. "The pakaru ‘pipeline’: Māori and Pasifika pathways within the academy." The New Zealand Annual Review of Education 24 (2020): 142-159.
  • Wood, Susanna A., Laura T. Kelly, Keith Bouma‐Gregson, Jean‐François Humbert, Haywood Dail Laughinghouse IV, James Lazorchak, Tara G. McAllister et al. "Toxic benthic freshwater cyanobacterial proliferations: challenges and solutions for enhancing knowledge and improving monitoring and mitigation." Freshwater Biology 65, no. 10 (2020): 1824–1842.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Tara McAllister". Tepunahamatatini.ac.nz. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  2. ^ Tara McAllister (12 May 2017). "Meet Tara McAllister, a freshwater ecologist passionate about protecting water for future generations!". The female Scientist. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  3. ^ G., McAllister, T. (4 December 2018). "Phormidium accrual cycles in Canterbury rivers: the effects of nutrients and flow". ir.canterbury.ac.nz. doi:10.26021/6503.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ "MBIE Science Whitinga Fellowship | Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment". www.mbie.govt.nz.
  5. ^ Mcallister, Tara. "Disturbing the Discipline: Reflections on Ngā Kete Mātauranga". Pantograph Punch. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  6. ^ "Sick or swim? Every Wellington river poorly rated for safe swimming this summer". www.stuff.co.nz. 19 January 2021.
  7. ^ "Rivers won't poison swimmers: Federated Farmers". Stuff. 29 June 2016.
  8. ^ "Conflicting voices in Wairarapa water storage project as iwi feels rushed into decision". www.stuff.co.nz. 21 December 2020.
  9. ^ "Why Isn't My Professor Māori? | Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga". Maramatanga.co.nz. 18 October 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  10. ^ Nine To Noon (29 August 2019). "Why isn't my professor Pasifika or Māori?". RNZ. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  11. ^ "Why aren't universities made for people like me?". E-Tangata. 31 August 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  12. ^ "Research workforce issues". Royalsociety.org.nz. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  13. ^ "Should NZ's PhD researchers be working at below minimum wage?". NZ Herald.
  14. ^ Kendall Clements, Garth Cooper, Michael Corballis, Douglas Elliffe, Robert Nola, Elizabeth Rata, and John Werry. “In Defence of Science.” New Zealand Listener, 31 July 2021. p.4
  15. ^ ZB, Newstalk. "Paul Goldsmith: Mātauranga Māori shouldn't be taught at the expense of science". ZB. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  16. ^ "University academics' claim that mātauranga Māori is 'not science' sparks controversy". www.stuff.co.nz. 24 July 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  17. ^ "Joint statement from President and Chair of Academy Executive Committee". Royalsociety.org.nz. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  18. ^ "Mātauranga and Science" (PDF). The New Zealand Association of Scientists. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  19. ^ Dunlop, Māni (28 July 2021). "University academics' claim mātauranga Māori 'not science' sparks controversy". RNZ. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  20. ^ "Vice-Chancellor comments – The University of Auckland". Auckland.ac.nz. 26 July 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  21. ^ Sachdeva, Sam (18 November 2021). "Royal Society investigation into mātauranga Māori letter sparks academic debate". Newsroom. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  22. ^ Johnston, Michael; Kierstead, James; Lillis, David; Schwerdtfeger, Peter; White, Lindsey; Boyd, Brian (23 December 2021). "Academics: Don't stifle healthy debate". Newsroom. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  23. ^ Brown, Rebecca (6 April 2022). "Winner of the Zonta Science Award 2022, Dr Tara McAllister". Zonta Wellington. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  24. ^ "2022 Te Kōpūnui Māori Research Award: Why isn't my professor Māori?". Royal Society Te Apārangi. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
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