Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland's effort to lift university entrance success for Māori and Pacific secondary learners continues to gain momentum.

The University expanded its UE Success secondary schools partnership, welcoming Henderson High School, Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate, St Paul's College and Westlake Boys High School at an event on 5 March.

The UE Success partnership began with 12 Auckland schools in April 2024. In June 2025, three more schools joined. The partnership has continued to scale, bringing the current total to 19. These schools work closely with the University of Auckland to ensure Māori and Pacific students arrive at the tertiary level well prepared to succeed.

The University's Associate Director of Schools & Community Engagement, Liletina Vaka, says the expansion reflects schools' demand for a model that puts readiness and parity by 2030 at the centre, with a focus beyond "getting school leavers through the gate".

"We have four years to shift the dial to parity by 2030. UE Success is about fit‑for‑purpose preparation — strengthening external credit confidence, course design and transitions — so our learners don't just enter the gate, they cross the stage," she said.

Ms Vaka said the momentum from schools, parents and whānau (family) shows the value of a partnership grounded in data, culture and accountability. Over the past two years, first-year pass rates for Māori and Pacific students have improved by two percentage points, and five percentage points respectively.

Pathways Programme Manager Katalina Ma noted that schools are actively approaching the University after seeing the impact of data‑informed decisions on UE outcomes.

"Schools are leveraging data to redesign programmes and assessment mixes," she said.

"I was invited to Rarotonga to share what first‑year success looks like when students balance internal and external credits; that practical alignment is helping school‑leavers arrive ready for tertiary; here or anywhere."

At the event on 5 March, Catherine Dunphy from the Office of the Pro Vice‑Chancellor Māori addressed the visiting secondary school principals and spoke about the impact of the initiative, now in its second year. She said the partnership was reshaping how the University showed up for schools and learners.

"Universities can look impenetrable from the outside. This partnership is teaching us to reach out authentically, listen to learners' experiences and smooth the transition so the jump from secondary to university isn't so hard," she said.

"It's about building confidence, belonging and success from day one."

The University's Deputy Pro Vice‑Chancellor (Pacific), Sili‑Mireta Ropati, emphasised the reciprocity of a collaborative approach.

"Accountability matters. As much as our teams support schools and hold standards, we invite our partners to hold us to account at Waipapa Taumata Rau. We're here to do our best for your learners as they come through—fa'afetai tele lava for the trust and the shared purpose."

Across Aotearoa, Māori and Pacific University Entrance attainment declined from 40 per cent in 2020 to 34 per cent in 2022, while the national university entrance rate fell from 53 per cent to 50 per cent over the same period.

The persistent gap underpins the University's parity target for 2030 and explains why a structured, school-university partnership is essential, the University said.

Despite a partial recovery from COVID‑era disruptions, equity disparities in NCEA Level 3 and university entrance remain significant, reinforcing the need for sustained, system‑level action to improve preparedness and outcomes for Māori and Pacific learners.

Since the partnership launched, partner schools report more informed subject selection, a stronger emphasis on external standards, and a lift in applications, offers and acceptances among Māori and Pacific school‑leavers headed to the University, indicating that readiness as well as participation is improving across the cohort.

Last year, the University of Auckland led the tertiary sector for applications from Māori and Pacific school leavers, attributing the rise in part to pathway initiatives and the structured collaboration with secondary schools that the UE Success program provides.

Tertiary qualifications in Aotearoa/New Zealand are associated, on average, with higher employment rates, higher earnings and lower benefit reliance, and these advantages increase with qualification level; for Māori and Pacific communities, lifting university entrance and supporting completion therefore translates into long‑term household income gains, better employment security and intergenerational well-being benefits.

Schools report growing parent and whānau engagement, families are coming forward to request their schools join the UE Success partnership equipping Māori and Pacific youth for tertiary success, improving first-year retention to increase the likelihood of completing programmes of study.

The model combines targeted data, culturally grounded engagement and clear tertiary pathways, and builds on the University's publicly stated goal to achieve university entrance parity for Māori and Pacific learners by 2030, a first‑of‑its‑kind approach when launched in 2024 and expanded in 2025.