Long-term impacts for Māori ākonga in education
Whānau
There is considerable evidence to show the positive impact of Māori language and culture on Māori success (BERL et al., 2019). However, many tamariki leave kura kaupapa to attend English medium high schools despite the lower rates of success for ākonga Māori in English medium settings.
Racism and bullying impact on the attendance of Māori ākonga; almost half of Māori parents surveyed are prepared to keep their child home to avoid bullying (Ministry of Education, 2019). Inequities are also clear in the rates at which Māori ākonga are stood down, suspended, excluded and expelled (Ministry of Education, 2024).
Rangatahi Māori are more likely to leave school at a younger age and with fewer, lower level or no formal qualifications at all. As a result, Māori have limited options for tertiary study and career pathways, which reinforces negative stereotypes, and furthers intergenerational poverty and lost potential.
Aotearoa New Zealand education systems, practices and professionals must remove the harmful barriers that exist and transform their approach to Māori education to better live up to the promises of Te Tiriti o Waitangi for tāngata whenua.
The long-term impacts of inequity for Māori are framed around the following themes:
Access and participation
- Whānau Māori face barriers to accessing relevant and meaningful schooling.
- Whānau Māori commitments to whānau/cultural events means their tamariki may attend school less regularly.
- Many Māori tamariki are unable to attend secondary schooling due to a lack of options in their rural location, and the cost of hostel accommodation.
- There is a lack of access to schools with culturally-appropriate knowledge and pedagogies.
Outcomes
- Fewer Māori rangatahi stay in school at mainstream schools than in Māori medium schools.
- Māori ākonga have lower attendance rates, and move between schools more often, with higher rates of school exemption, suspension, exclusion and expulsion.
- Fewer Māori ākonga leave school with NCEA standards and are less likely to engage in tertiary education.
Proportion of Māori and Pacific people aged 25–64 with bachelors degree or higher qualification
Ka hiahiatia pea ēnei
You may also be interested in
- How to support Māori children with culturally responsive teaching
Principles for culturally responsive teaching and learning from research into how best to support tamariki Māori and their whānau in early childhood settings. - 10 ways to teach me
A young Māori boy with a message for educators. - Stood down from life
Shelley Burne-Field discusses “kiwi suspensions”: practice of illegal stand-downs and suspensions that disproportionately target Māori and Pacific ākonga.
Hei whakaaro ake
Food for thought
- What vision do you have for the future of education for ākonga Māori in Aotearoa?
- In what ways could you work alongside whānau Māori to help recognise Māori aspirations in education?
- What would we want for our own children and mokopuna? What does thriving look and feel like?
