Increase in Māori and Pacific school leavers at University of Auckland

Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland has the highest number of Māori and Pacific high-school leavers heading to university in New Zealand, thanks to initiatives including its recently launched UE Success Plan. The plan, launched 18 months ago, aimed to boost students' academic success and achieve UE parity for Māori and Pacific learners by 2030.

Schools and Community Engagement associate director, Liletina Vaka, says the University’s steady growth in school-leaver applications is matched by its growing market share – University of Auckland now attracts just over 30 percent of school leavers, up from around 27 percent in 2023.

In addition to attracting the majority of New Zealand’s Cambridge, IB and international students, 34 percent of all Māori and Pacific who opt for tertiary study choose Waipapa Taumata Rau.

“There are a wide range of factors attracting high schoolers to the University of Auckland – our global ranking, Auckland as a major New Zealand city, diversity, equity and inclusion; and strong school partnerships.

"We have a shared vision with schools to lift University Entrance outcomes and ensure equity remains at the heart of every decision,” says Vaka.

Pathway Programme initiatives including STEM Online, Pacific Academy, Maths Challenges and the UE Success Plan, are helping to deliver impressive results. Pacific Academy has grown from 50 students in 2022 to more than 630 Māori and Pacific learners in 2024 and will expand to six academies serving more than 1,000 students next year. Additionally, the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences' Pacific Wayfinders has contributed to the growth.

Katalina Ma, a former secondary educator, has overseen the Pathway Programmes. Vaka says her ability to bring secondary and tertiary leaders closer, and to align efforts across the sector, has been a key factor in the University’s success.

“I’m really happy that as a University we’re committed to partnering across the sector to make impactful change for our tauira Māori and Pacific,” Vaka told principals gathered at its 13 November hui.

Vaka says initiatives such as the UE success programme extends beyond enrolment. 

“It’s one thing to get students to university, and another thing to ensure they cross the stage at graduation.”

In just two years, the University has closed the parity gap in first-year pass rates for Pacific students from being 14 percent lower to just five percent, a major step toward its 2030 goal.

First-year pass rates for Māori learners have also improved over the past three years. The same is true of the University’s first-year pass rates for the non-Māori and Pacific school leaver student population – an important measure for the University following Covid, declining UE rates, and lower tertiary preparedness, across the country.

“We’re seeing positive shifts in Pacific achievement and engagement. These partnerships are about more than numbers – they’re about creating pathways where Māori and Pacific learners see themselves and succeed," says Vaka. 

Pro Vice-Chancellor Pacific Professor Jemaima Tiatia-Siau says the Schools Community and Engagement Office have been actively proactive in addressing inequities within the University, as well as shifting the dial, for and with, Māori and Pacific students.

“Our tauira Māori and Pacific work hard to succeed but frequently face a multitude of barriers. There is still a lot of work to achieve as a means of turning the tide, in amongst challenging times for our underserved populations, but we are seeing positive progress and this is very promising for our communities.”

Katalina Ma says working with high schools helps to ensure Māori and Pacific secondary students arrive with a qualification that is ‘fit for purpose’.

“Change is needed, and it must be aspirational. We’re already on this journey with schools, setting expectations and opening eyes to pathways early. Our goal is to keep options open for students and ensure they feel they belong in spaces that historically excluded them.”

Principals voiced the need for equity, and the importance of encouraging Māori and Pacific students to aspire toward tertiary study, reinforcing a shared commitment to lifting outcomes across Auckland.

As the UE Success Plan evolves, Vaka says the strengthening of the partnership will ultimately empower Māori and Pacific learners, and their communities and already they are seeing a number of benefits in working together with schools.

“We have a shared 2030 target of parity, are meeting quarterly with principals to track our individual and collective performance against our goals.

“We are delivering engagements about informed subject selection and UE Success to learners, families, and educators, and are scaling programmes such as Pacific Academy to ensure learners across Tāmaki Makaurau have access to quality academic support.

"There’s commitment across the sector to see our Māori and Pacific learners succeed and thrive.”