Step in right direction to increase Pacific scholars

The large cohort of first-year Pacific students at the University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau is a step in the right direction to increase the number of Pacific academic scholars. 

Pro Vice-Chancellor Pacific Professor Jemaima Tiatia-Siau and her team welcomed 72 Pacific scholarship recipients to the University with an event at the Fale Pasifika - ‘Anau ‘Aiga on 26 February. 

She shared with the crowd that with 473 Pacific first-year students entering the University (an increase from the previous semester) the awarding of a scholarship was an outstanding result. 

“This is an outstanding achievement, I personally want to congratulate you… taking a scholarship from Aotearoa’s leading and number one university in this country is not easy, so please take the time to recognise what you have achieved so far, congratulations to you all.” 

There were 25 Pacific academic scholarships, 30 Vaka Moana scholarships, 7 Top Achiever scholarships and 10 Faculty funded scholarships. Amongst the families were alumni impressed with the efforts to help their young people with the transition into university life. 

Acting deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor Pacific Sili-Mireta Ropati has led and coordinated the ‘Anau ‘Aiga evening for some years and is also the first Sāmoan woman to hold the position. Professor Tiatia-Siau says ‘Anau ‘Aiga was a great opportunity to welcome Pacific scholarship students to their new village at Waipapa Taumata Rau and clarify expectations of what was required of them. 

There were panels from current scholarship students, and breakout introductory sessions with the Accommodation and Campus Care teams that will form a large part of the scaffolding necessary for a successful tertiary journey. 

“For some of you this might be the first time you’ve been away from home… if there’s one piece of advice I can offer for your academic journey - stand firm in who you are, and where you come from. 

“I challenge you to be bold in your Pasifika greatness in this institution, please ask for help because you should never, ever paddle alone.” 

Please support your young people

She also called on students’ families to support them as they begin to traverse university life and also experience living away from home in student accommodation for the first time. 

“Families, please support your young people and please understand the pressures that they will encounter. 

“There will be some lows for them, and they will need you more than ever because it can’t always be about the highs.” 

However, she promised that the highs they would experience as a family would give pride to their ancestors and also be carried forward to their descendants. 

A lack of preparedness due to inequities for Māori and Pacific learners entering tertiary study saw a new University partnership with a dozen Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland secondary schools, led by Schools and Community Engagement last April. The agreement is helping bring Māori and Pacific on par with non-Māori and non-Pacific students. 

Professor Tiatia-Siau says the partnership is addressing inequities within university, and that while Pacific students work hard to succeed they frequently deal with a multitude of barriers. She says working closely with high schools was crucial to increase the number of young people eligible for university and also improve success rates. 

"This positively impacts this generation and future generations. Potentially this could be a game-changer for our communities and also answer the call to increase the numbers of Pacific scholars across all areas of research, teaching and service,” says Professor Tiatia-Siau.