NZ medical schools lift diversity

A four-fold increase in Ma¯ ori and Pasifika studying medicine at Otago University has intensified competition for a dwindling number of places for other students.

In 2010, only about 10 per cent of medical students (not including international) at Otago were Ma¯ ori or Pasifika.

Since then, more robust affirmative action policies have been introduced to make it easier for students from certain backgrounds to get into medical school. By 2016, Ma¯ ori and Pasifika students took up 32 per cent of places offered to firstyear health sciences students.

This year, 79 Ma¯ ori and Pasifika students, counting for 39 per cent of first-year health sciences applicants, were accepted into firstyear medicine. After other subcategory places were filled, 82 places were left for general entry students, meaning those who failed to get a 94 per cent average across seven subjects missed out.

Otago was unable to provide the grade average for special category students.

In total, Otago accepted 202 students into medicine from those who took the pre-entry health sciences course last year.

Of those places, 120 went to those from special categories. As well as Ma¯ori and Pasifika students, preference was given to 29 students with links to rural areas, a loosely defined category that encompasses students from towns such as Wa¯ naka, Rangiora and Lincoln.

Auckland University’s medical school shows a similar picture. In 2016, Ma¯ ori and Pasifika took up 18 per cent of the places for students who had completed an intermediate year course. This year they counted for 28 per cent. The universities have priority pathways for students whose backgrounds are rural, Pacific, Ma¯ ori, low socio-economic, or refugee. Auckland medical school also has a category for students with disabilities.

Prominent Auckland lawyer Jeremy Johnson said public educational institutions had to comply with the Human Rights Act 1993 and New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, which prohibit discrimination unless it is affirmative action.

Another more complex issue was whether universities were subject to the judicial review process.

‘‘Arguably they are,’’ Johnson said. ‘‘It may be that the decisions made by the medical schools — whether around individual entry or the setting of entry criteria — came about from a flawed process or are unreasonable. In that case a court might intervene and overturn them.

‘‘However, you would expect the court to give considerable latitude to universities in making such decisions.’’

Otago University’s pro vicechancellor of Health Sciences, Professor Paul Brunton, said the university had an obligation to train health professionals who were equipped to meet the health needs of New Zealand’s diverse communities.

‘‘Currently there is gross underrepresentation of some key populations in New Zealand’s health workforce. For example, Ma¯ ori comprise only 3.4 per cent and Pacific people 1.8 per cent of the medical workforce, whereas the proportion of the total population who identify as Ma¯ori and Pacific is, respectively, approximately 15 per cent and 8 per cent.’’