Whanau a double-edged sword for Maori tertiary students

Family relationships are a double-edged sword for Maori students pursuing university study, new research has found.

University of Otago’s National Centre for Lifecourse Research found whanau support was the ‘‘top factor’’ that helped Maori complete their qualifications, but that family commitments also made study more difficult.

The centre’s co-director Moana Theodore said the longitudinal study, which involved more than 600 participants and was the first of its kind to cover all New Zealand universities, created a ‘‘blueprint’’ for how to better support Maori students.

‘‘We know that Maori succeeding in higher education is a government priority and we wanted to provide information to people who support Maori students about what they are doing well and ways they could improve,’’ she said.

Respondents said their whanau provided practical support like accommodation and childcare, as well as emotional support and the motivation to succeed.

Half were the first in their immediate families to attend university and a third were parents compared to about a quarter of the general university population, Theodore said. ’’They were motivated to be role models for their families and to create a better life for themselves and their families.’’

However, childcare, work commitments and financial pressures often hindered the completion of their study.

Maori students were more likely to be older and responsible for their families.

Lincoln University student Rhanae Ngawaka said she was disheartened by a ‘‘significant’’ decrease in Maori staff on campus this year, but motivated by ‘‘the example I set for my whanau’’.

In 2012, the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) set a target for universities to have the same enrolment and pass rates for Maori and Pasifika students as other students by 2018.

But with Maori degree completion rates averaging 66 per cent, about 14 per cent lower than those of the general university student population (79.75 per cent), the commission scrapped the deadline last month in favour of developing different targets for each institution.

University of Canterbury professor of Maori research Angus Hikairo Macfarlane said universities nationwide were ‘‘really good’’ at supporting Maori who sometimes found it difficult to balance their home life with the ‘‘hurlyburly’’ of tertiary study. He said his own study of highly successful Maori high school students offered lessons for universities on fostering a sense of identity and belonging.