Level 2 has increased by approximately 2 %.33 49. Māori participation and achievement in tertiary education has also increased in recent years. Twenty eight percent of Māori students were studying at Bachelors level and above in 2014, up from 21 % in 2007. The rate at which Māori complete qualifications has also increased: of Māori who started full-time study at Level 4 or above in 2007, 62 % had completed a qualification within five years, compared with a rate of 53 % for those who started in 2004.34 50. However, as acknowledged in Ka Hikitia, more needs to be done. Accordingly it sets the following targets:  98% of children starting school will have participated in early childhood education in 2016;  85% of all 18 year olds will have achieved NCEA level 2 or an equivalent qualification in 2017; and  60% of 25 to 34 year olds will have a qualification at Level 4 or above on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework by 2018. 51. Despite these improvements, current data shows a continuing gap between Māori and other ethnicities.35 In 2014, 67.7% of Māori 18-year-olds had at least NCEA Level 2, compared with 85.1% of 18-year-olds of European descent, and the overall national rate of 81.2%.36 Schools continue to stand-down, suspend, and exclude more Māori students than any other ethnic group.37 52. Thirty two percent of Māori aged between 25 and 34 had qualifications at level 4 or above, compared with 54% for those of European decent.38 53. Pacific students’ performance in NCEA level 2 has also progressively improved. Seventy five percent of Pacific students achieved NCEA level 2 in 2014 compared with 65% in 2011. Pacific participation and achievement in tertiary education has also 33 http://www.education.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Ministry/Strategies-and-policies/Ka-Hikitia/KHDataSnapshot2014.pdf 34 New Zealand’s twenty first to twenty-second periodic reports under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination 35 Ministry of Education (August, 2015): http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/snapshots-of-nz/nz-socialindicators/Home/Education/18-year-olds-with-higher-qualif.aspx. See also Better Public Services targets – Boosting skills and employment: http://www.ssc.govt.nz/bps-boosting-skills-employment 36 Ministry of Education (August, 2015): http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/snapshots-of-nz/nz-socialindicators/Home/Education/18-year-olds-with-higher-qualif.aspx 37 http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/indicators/main/student-engagement-participation/stand-downssuspensions-exclusions-expulsions (date updated June 2015) 38 http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/snapshots-of-nz/nz-social-indicators/Home/Education/edattainment-adults.aspx 14