Dr Shane Wright, born in Whanganui and raised in Raetihi, is a leading evolutionary biologist at the University of Auckland renowned for his deep connection to Aotearoa’s native forests and his global research into plant evolution. With a background that blends Māori (Te Ati Haunui, Ngāti Tuwharetoa, Ngāti Kurawhatia) and Pākehā heritage, Dr Wright describes this cultural duality as a core strength, enabling him to approach science with what he calls a “fuzzy logic” informed by Māori ways of thinking. His research has taken him from the ancient forests of Aotearoa to the tropics of the Solomon Islands and the Peruvian Amazon, where he has explored the mechanisms driving biodiversity, evolutionary genetics, and conservation.
Image courtesy of Jon Sullivan