View article

This study investigates Māori (Indigenous people of New Zealand) and Pacific (people living in New Zealand who identify with Pacific Islands heritage) student success in Psychology at The University of Auckland, casting a net around the barriers and facilitators of academic learning to better understand and delineate pathways to transform the institutional environment, fostering conditions that allow undergraduate students to flourish and access culturally specific support. Located within a university context, our methodology was informed by kaupapa Māori research, involving six focus groups with Māori and Pacific undergraduate students (n = 29), and a collaborative approach to thematic analysis. Five key themes were identified: Resisting individualising pressures and embracing whanaungatanga, facilitating ako and vā, collaborative learning relationships, embracing Māori and Pacific expertise and knowledge …