30 H U M A N R I G H T S COMMISSION | A FAIR GO FOR ALL? effective in building relationships and enhancing student achievement. 135 Acknowledging and identifying Mäori results: “these initiatives largely persist in seeing the white space as neutral and the goal is to raise Mäori and Pasifika and Pacific student needs and developing programmes students’ achievement to ‘national norms’.” She challenges specific to those needs, rather than looking at the student the Päkehä/white norm as neutral and objective and population as a homogenous group, yields more effective stresses the need to shift the problematic and Eurocentric results in enhancing student achievement. assumptions underlying educational paradigms and present It is also important to note the critical interplay between day school improvement initiatives. poverty and children’s ability to fully engage in education. Tertiary institutions have a significant part to play in Socio-economic factors including poverty play a key role increasing the participation and achievement of Mäori and in determining inequitable educational outcomes. The Pacific students. The Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs and Household Economic Survey of 2008 showed that 20 per Statistics New Zealand have reported: cent of New Zealand children lived in relative poverty. The Commission’s Human Rights in New Zealand 2010 report notes that students from low socio-economic communities are less likely than others to attain higher school qualifications. The NCEA level 1 pass rate at the poorest 30 per cent of secondary schools is only twothirds that of the wealthiest 30 per cent of schools.136 The fact that Mäori and Pacific peoples are disproportionately in 2006, only half of tertiary education organisations report that they were developing relationships with Pacific communities. Most of these organisations were focused on attracting more Pacific students and few on understanding and addressing the needs and aspirations of the community. There is significant room for improvement.139 represented in lower socio-economic communities makes Where tertiary institutions have a presence in them particularly susceptible to the impacts of structural underrepresented communities – for example, at discrimination. career expos for secondary students and by developing A 2011 report by the Child Poverty Action Group, Hunger for Learning, draws a connection between poverty, nutrition and children’s educational performance, There is a growing body of research that points to the links between access to good quality food and improved school relationships with community groups – there is much greater potential to create a sense of accessibility. Creating a supportive environment is also important for tertiary institutions to ensure existing students feel supported and engaged in tertiary life.140 attendance, engagement and performance. These linkages Most research and education policy points to the illustrate the connected nature of socio-economic factors importance of looking to early education and primary and systemic barriers to equality across several sectors, school, as opposed to later years, in order to address including health, education and the economy. systemic inequalities between ethnic groups. Russell Some research suggests that in order to truly change inequitable outcomes, we must challenge Eurocentric solutions to educational achievement and acknowledge the role of Päkehä/white privilege in maintaining unjust systems.137 Milne comments: Bishop, Professor of Mäori Education at the University of Waikato, points out that “while these negative outcomes are most clearly exhibited in high schools, the foundations for these problems commence in the elementary or primary school years.”141 In other words, it is important to start early. Many of those the Commission Whiteness and white privilege are central to the conversations we must have to effect real change for non-white children in our school system.138 interviewed emphasised that waiting until the senior Milne explains that the primary focus of current less likely to be effective or sustainable. Nonetheless, educational reform policy is on raising literacy and effective programmes have been introduced, including Te numeracy levels and improving national qualifications Kotahitanga discussed in the following case-study. secondary or university levels to address educational inequalities for Mäori and Pacific students in particular, is often too late and interventions at these levels are