Redoing What's Been Undone: Māori and Pasifika scholarships could be banned

Universities were built for Pākehā on the backs on colonisation. But with Māori and Pasifika scholarships, we've been able to begin to bridge the gap.  

The ACT party wants to burn that bridge.  

In March, ACT MP Parmjeet Parmar drafted a bill which proposes the removal of race-based scholarships and benefits. 

Māori and Pasifika would no longer be able to receive any benefit or opportunity based off their race, including housing, designated spaces, and financial assistance. Parmar argues that benefits for ethnic groups are “divisive” and that “all students should be treated equally”.    

Art / Tara Griz

For Massey alone, we have over $900,000 worth of Māori and Pasifika scholarships. This is only for 16 scholarships, which doesn’t include scholarships available that are created by organisations and sponsors outside of Massey. Altogether, millions of scholarship money could be flushed. 

This would dramatically decrease the numbers of Māori and Pasifika students, undoing years of progress. And for what? So that the Pākehā don’t feel left out?  

This is a matter of equity, not equality, and the answer is not to revert to the 1800s.  

For many, these scholarships changed their life. Like Ripeka Paapu, the manawhakahaere (Māori president) of Massey's student association.  

“To be completely honest, there were times when — without that support — I wouldn’t have been able to afford food.”   

“If it weren’t for Māori scholarships and grants, my educational journey would have ended back in 2021.”   

The implementation of this bill would dramatically change Māori and Pasifika's university experiences for the worse. Paapu says, “This is appalling, and there's no way it can be seen as anything other than outright racism. It is designed to disqualify and exclude specific communities — my own included.” 

New Zealand universities began to establish in 1850, but the first Māori person to graduate from uni didn't happen until 1893.  

Today, many Māori and Pasifika students are the first in their family to attend university. According to a 2015 study by Otago University, 48% of recent Māori graduates were the first in their families to attend university.  

Paapu says, “These changes will significantly set back the progress made for Pasifika and Māori students. Recognising that some students need more support than others is simply a matter of basic human decency.” 

“How can we expect to empower the next generation to succeed without providing them with fair and adequate support?” 

Co-Pasifika president of the student association, Mary Ieremia-Allan, says race related scholarships are a direct action to address inequality in education.  

“Many of these scholarships are actually a form of compensation for horrific historic incidences.” She references the Tuli Takes Flight scholarships which was initially funded by the Labour government in 2021 as an apology for the 1970 dawn raids that targeted Pasifika families.  

The Ministry of Education notes these scholarships are “intended to support Pacific people to reach their potential by reducing some of the financial barriers towards study or training”. There are 15 scholarships available — worth up to $31,500 altogether.  

Ieremia-Allan says, “Scholarships targeting certain races is a bare minimum.” 

“Removing such scholarships is removing one of the few compensations and support given to these demographics in such spaces.” 

As well as removing financial assistance for Māori students, MP Parmar’s bill also seeks to remove spaces for Māori and Pasifika students within universities. These spaces create a place for minorities to feel safe, where their traditions and customs can be understood without questions. At Massey, these rooms are well loved.  

A 2022 study by the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, gathered responses from 43 Māori and Pacific students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) subjects. Many of the respondents detailed being made to feel out of place, having their place at university questioned, or being made a token representative for funding applications. 

Yet Parmar argues that ethnic specific spaces promote “separation and segregation”.  

This is not the first time ACT has tried to remove these spaces from universities. In March last year, the University of Auckland was slammed for their designated spaces. Winston Peters compared the spaces to the Ku Klux Klan (the KKK), whilst the ACT party claimed that the spaces are reminiscent of an “ugly past”.  

This pattern of politicians claiming that opportunities for Māori and Pasifika students are harmful lacks understanding and compassion, weaving a system built on resentment.  

Māori and Pasifika scholarships are not simply thrown out to students like ACT seems to think. Obtaining a scholarship requires lots of effort and commitment, regardless of what kind of scholarship it is. Gaining a scholarship requires consistent academic effort and drive to represent their communities.    

If ACT wants to reduce inequality in tertiary education, more funding for Māori and Pasifika opportunities is what we need.