unconscious bias is an issue within the education system, and noted that the disparate outcomes for Māori were, among other things, chronic and systemic.51 Recommendation 10 a. In consultation and partnership with iwi and Pacific communities, strengthen current efforts to reduce the gap in educational outcomes between Māori and Pacific students, and other ethnicities. b. Increase its investment in indigenous language retention and culturally responsive learning environments. c. Take urgent measures, including legislative reform, to reduce the rates of Māori students, and students from poor communities, who are subject to stand-down, suspensions and exclusion from school. Bullying in schools 44. Given the detailed comments and recommendations made by the Committee in its 2012 Concluding Observations on New Zealand and the acceptance by the Governments, past and present, that no initiatives tried to date by the State have reduced bullying rates in schools, the Commission is surprised that the State omitted to refer to bullying in their report to the Committee. 45. Despite initiatives developed to address bullying in New Zealand schools, such as the establishment of the cross-sector Bullying Prevention Advisory Group (BPAG), the Government is yet to require that schools implement comprehensive bullying prevention programs as part of a strategy to address and reduce instances of bullying in schools, and monitor the impact of bullying on student well-being and mental health, as recommended by the Committee in 2012. 46. In addition, it is not apparent that progress has been made in addressing the additional recommendations of the Committee that the Government systematically collect data on violence and bullying in schools and monitor the impact of the student mental health and wellbeing initiatives recently introduced in schools to reduce the incidence of violence and bullying. The Commission welcomes the Government’s decision in September 2017 to fund the Wellbeing@School Student Survey until 16