Under-represented and overlooked: Māori and Pasifika scientists in Aotearoa New Zealand’s universities and crown-research institutes

ABSTRACT

This article provides insights into the ethnicity of people employed in Aotearoa New Zealand’s publicly-funded scientific workforce, with a particular focus on Māori and Pasifika scientists. We show that between 2008 and 2018, Māori and Pasifika scientists were severely under-represented in Aotearoa New Zealand’s universities and crown-research institutes. Despite espousals by these institutions of valuing diversity, te Tiriti o Waitangi and Māori research, there have been very little changes in the overall percentage of Māori and Pasifika scientists employed for a period of at least 11 years. Notably, one university reported having not employed a single Māori or Pasifika academic in their science department from 2008 to 2018. We highlight the urgent need for institutions to improve how they collect and disseminate data that speaks to the diversity of their employees. We present data that illustrate that universities and crown-research institutes are failing to build a sustainable Māori and Pasifika scientific workforce and that these institutions need to begin to recruit, retain and promote Māori and Pasifika scientists.

KEYWORDS:

• Indigenous scientists
• higher education
• equity
• university
• crown-research institutes
• Māori
• Pacific

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge Māori and Pasifika scientists working in universities and CRIs- kia kaha, kia māia, kia manawanui. TGM would like to thank MBIE and the Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor for funding, instigating and facilitating this research. TGM also acknowledges Te Pūnaha Matatini for providing further support. Sarah Townsend and Susie Meade were instrumental in gaining data used in this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1 Although Aotearoa is a Māori name for New Zealand’s North Island, to reflect the nations bi-cultural foundation it is commonly used in this context, e.g. Aotearoa New Zealand, to mean all of New Zealand