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The continued underserving of Maori and Pasifika communities by New Zealand universities has resulted in the need to hold universities and the wider tertiary education system to account through widespread data analysis. This paper analyses Maori and Pasifika enrolment in the Society and Culture and Natural and Physical Sciences fields of Aotearoa New Zealand. The data indicate further targeted investment is needed in both fields, however, areas of investment differ between and within the fields. This paper also argues that the increasing use of Ministry of Education data to analyse current and past Maori and Pasifika inclusion in Aotearoa New Zealand universities means that this data needs to be transparent and reliable.

This study investigates Maori (Indigenous people of New Zealand) and Pacific (people living in New Zealand who identify with Pacific Islands heritage) student success in Psychology at The University of Auckland, casting a net around the barriers and facilitators of academic learning to better understand and delineate pathways to transform the institutional environment, fostering conditions that allow undergraduate students to flourish and access culturally specific support. Located within a university context, our methodology was informed by kaupapa Maori research, involving six focus groups with Maori and Pacific undergraduate students (n = 29), and a collaborative approach to thematic analysis. Five key themes were identified: Resisting individualising pressures and embracing whanaungatanga, facilitating ako and va, collaborative learning relationships, embracing Maori and Pacific expertise and knowledge systems, and recalibrating Maori and Pacific psychology pathways. This study is unique in its approach, being led by Maori, Pacific, and Indigenous students, foregrounding limitations and enhancers within a dominant monocultural institution. Suggestions for universities seeking to forge pathways that support Maori and Pacific student success without separating from their cultural identity are offered.

Limited attention has been paid to the experiences of Pacific Early Career Academics (PECA) in utilising their culture-specific systems of knowledge in their pedagogical practice. As a cross-section of PECA employed in a variety of disciplines and faculties, we explore how our Pacific identities infuse our pedagogical approaches in a way that forefronts the significance and validity of Pacific knowledges. We argue that, despite academia perpetually undervaluing Pacific knowledges and even without formal Pacific pedagogical training, PECA prioritise Pacific knowledges in the way we think, teach, and communicate in the classroom. Further, PECA contribute to a reshaping and remodelling of curriculum and delivery that is culturally responsive and enhances learning and teaching spaces significantly. Thus, we believe that universities need to commit to not only hiring more Pacific academics, but also provide greater institutional and financial support for the development of PECA networks across different faculties, schools and disciplines. We also argue that to help retain PECA, Pacific pedagogical praxis must be understood as part of wider pastoral care efforts.