MAORI AND PACIFIC ISLAND STUDENTS HIT HARDER BY LOAN SCHEME
The biggest victims of current tertiary education policy are Maori and Pacific Island university students, said the New
Zealand University Students' Association (NZUSA) and the national Maori university students' association, Te Mana
Akonga, today.
Figures obtained from the Ministry of Education show that the average Student Loan borrowings for full-time full-year
Maori and Pacific Island university students are considerably higher than those for students from other backgrounds.
Whereas full-time full-year Päkehä men borrowed $6847 in 1998, Maori men borrowed $7040 and Pacific Island men borrowed
$7438. Full-time full-year Päkehä women borrowed $6676 in 1998, while Maori women borrowed $6824 and Pacific Islands
women borrowed an astounding $7471 (see table below).
"With figures like these, it's not particularly surprising that the rates of participation by Maori and Pacific Islands
people in degree-level study are so low," said Tanja Schutz, Co-President of NZUSA. "Out of 115,977 students enrolled in
undergraduate degrees in 1998, only 3,828 were of Pacific Islands descent. That's only 3.3 per cent. And only 494 of the
26,577 students enrolled in postgraduate degrees were Pacific Islands students - a depressing 1.86 per cent."
"Statistics on university enrolments are similarly grim," said Jo Moran, spokesperson for Te Mana Akonga. "Maori are
14.5% of the New Zealand population, yet made up only 9% of university enrolments in 1998. And according to the Census,
close to half of all Maori have no qualifications at all. That is a travesty."
"Education is the key to breaking cycles of poverty and disadvantage. Yet current Government policy discriminates
against Maori and Pacific Islands people, who are more likely than other groups to be unqualified or poor."
"If the Government is serious about having an educated society in which all can participate, then it must act quickly
to remove all barriers to education. We call on all political parties and the voters of New Zealand to take up this
challenge."
For further comment contact Tanja Schutz (NZUSA Co-President) on 025 86 86 77
Jo Moran (TMA spokesperson) on 025 86 86 77
1998 FULL-TIME FULL-YEAR UNIVERSITY STUDENT AVERAGE LOAN BORROWINGS
Päkehä
Maori
Pacific Island
Male
$6847
$7040
$7438
Female
$6676
$6824
$7471
Note: Statistics on degree enrolments come from Full-Year Education Statistics for Students at Public Tertiary
Institutions 1998 (Ministry of Education, 1999)