Waipapa Taumata Rau initiative builds pathways toward equity in tertiary education

Rebekah Rasmussen Published November 14, 2025 at 3.00pm (AWST)

education

Schools and Community Engagement Associate Director, Liletina Vaka. (Image: Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.

Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland has reported record Māori and Pacific school leaver enrolments following the launch of its University Entrance (UE) Success Plan.

Of all Māori and Pacific students entering tertiary study, 34.2 per cent choose Waipapa Taumata Rau, which also attracts most of the country's Cambridge, IB and international students.

Schools and Community Engagement Associate Director, Liletina Vaka, said the University's rise in school leaver applications reflects its growing share of the market, now holding 30.3 per cent of school leavers, up from 26.6 per cent in 2023.

Ms Vaka said several factors contribute to this growth.

"There are a wide range of factors attracting highschoolers to the University - our global ranking, Auckland as a New Zealand's only metropolitan centre, diversity, equity, and inclusion; and strong school partnerships - having a shared vision with schools to lift University Entrance (UE) outcomes and ensure equity remains at the heart of every decision," she said.

*Pacific Academy session at Te Papa Ako o Tai Tonga, South Auckland Campus. (Image: Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland).*

Pathway Programme initiatives including STEM Online, Pacific Academy, Maths Challenges and the UE Success Plan are contributing to the results.

Pacific Academy has grown from 50 students in 2022 to more than 630 Māori and Pacific learners in 2024 and is set to expand to six academies serving over 1,000 students next year.

Former secondary educator Katalina Ma oversees the Pathway Programmes, which Ms Vaka said have benefited from her work in linking secondary and tertiary leaders to align sector efforts.

Ms Ma said collaborating with high schools ensures Māori and Pacific students gain qualifications that prepare them for further study.

"Change is needed, and it must be aspirational," she said.

"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."

*Pathway Programmes Manager Katalina Ma. (Image: Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland)*

Principals at a hui held on Thursday emphasised the need for equity and the importance of inspiring Māori and Pacific students to pursue tertiary education.

The partnership was launched 18 months ago to boost academic outcomes and achieve UE parity for Māori and Pacific learners by 2030.

Ms Vaka said the University is committed to creating meaningful change across the sector for tauira Māori and Pacific students.

"It's one thing to get students to university, and another thing to ensure they cross the stage at graduation," she said.

In two years, Waipapa Taumata Rau has reduced the parity gap in first-year pass rates for Pacific students from 14 percentage points to 5, progressing toward the 2030 goal of full parity.

Pass rates for Māori learners have also improved over the past three years, as have those of non-Māori and Pacific students, an important indicator following Covid-related declines in UE attainment and readiness across New Zealand.

"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," Ms Vaka said.

*Pro Vice-Chancellor Pacific Professor Jemaima Tiatia-Siau. (Image: Elise Manahan).*

Pro Vice-Chancellor Pacific, Professor Jemaima Tiatia-Siau, said the Schools, Community and Engagement Office has played a leading role in addressing inequities within the University.

"Our tauira Māori and Pacific work hard to succeed but frequently face a multitude of barriers," she said.

"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."

Ms Vaka said the UE Success Plan is continuing to strengthen partnerships between schools and the University, delivering clear benefits for learners and communities.

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

"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."