Stout Research Centre for New Zealand Studies

Museum interpretation of taxonomic names within natural history.

The names and categories we use to describe living things do more than organise knowledge—they shape how relationships within the natural world are understood.

My PhD research examines how naming and classification systems influence our understanding of nature, exploring the tensions and possibilities that emerge when whakapapa and Western taxonomy meet in museum practice. I investigate binomial nomenclature as a culturally embedded system shaped by colonial histories and consider how museums can create space for more relational understandings of connection and knowledge.

I am particularly interested in how whakapapa offers an alternative framework for classification and meaning-making, and how museum practice can support dialogue between mātauranga Māori and Western scientific traditions. My research explores how museums, scientists, iwi, and communities negotiate these knowledge systems and create a “taxonomic middle space”.

Born in the United States, raised in Hamilton, and later living in Canada, I completed a BA in History and Business Management before working across the public and private sectors. In 2024, I graduated with distinction from Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington with a Master’s in Museum and Heritage Practice. As the 2024 Dame Cheryll Sotheran Scholar at Te Papa Tongarewa, my doctoral research grew from a study of the interpretation of blackfoot pāua in Te Taiao. Ultimately, my research investigates how rethinking classification can reshape relationships between people, knowledge, and the living world.

Contact: sarajoyce.macdonald@vuw.ac.nz