Rapua te mea ngaro : exploring the access of Māori to veterinary education in Aotearoa New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
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Date
2021
DOI
Open Access Location
Authors
Jillings, Eloise Katherine Puia
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Publisher
Massey University
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The Author
Abstract
Currently there is no research literature regarding the ethnicity of veterinary applicants, veterinary students, or the veterinary workforce in New Zealand. Recent unpublished data indicates only 2% of veterinarians identify as Māori, despite Māori comprising 16.5% of the New Zealand population. This PhD is the first step in addressing this gap and bringing to light the important issues of Māori representation and inclusion in veterinary education and subsequently the veterinary profession in New Zealand. The thesis has two overarching goals. The first is to explore how the access of Māori to veterinary education, and therefore the veterinary workforce, is influenced by sociodemographic factors under three separate admission processes. The second is to explore the impact of sociodemographic factors and academic achievement prior to admission on the academic success of Māori once selected into the program.
The studies in this thesis were conducted with Kaupapa Māori research positioning. The thesis presents a quantitative analysis of veterinary applicant and selected student data from 2003 to 2019. Descriptive statistics and linear and logistic regression are utilised to explore the representation of Māori in the veterinary applicant and selected student cohorts, the association of sociodemographic variables and selection assessments, and academic outcomes of Māori and non-Māori once selected.
From this thesis it has been shown that Māori were underrepresented in the veterinary applicant pool and experienced more educational barriers than non-Māori. Māori are also underrepresented in the selected student cohort, and had 0.37 times the odds of selection than non-Māori prior to introduction of an equity process for Māori student selection. Scores on five of the six selection assessments were associated with ethnicity, with Māori receiving lower scores. However, once selected into the veterinary programme, there was no difference in the academic outcomes of Māori and non-Māori. Introduction of the equity process for Māori was not associated with a decrease in academic outcomes post-selection, and introduction of non-academic criteria into the selection process was associated with an improvement in academic outcomes.
The veterinary profession is not representative of New Zealand. Māori underrepresentation is also seen in the veterinary applicant and selected student cohorts. This needs to be addressed for reasons of Indigenous rights, social justice, social mobility, and to ensure the veterinary profession benefits from Māori worldviews and therefore is relevant to a growing Māori population. Enacting initiatives aimed to widen access to the veterinary programme, with the eventual goal of improving representation of Māori in the veterinary workforce, needs to be a priority for Massey University, the sole provider of veterinary education in Aotearoa, and the wider profession.
Description
Listed in 2022 Dean's List of Exceptional Theses
Keywords
Veterinary medicine, Study and teaching (Higher), Maori (New Zealand people), Education (Higher), Veterinary students, Rating of, New Zealand, Mātauranga hauora kararehe, Kura tuatoru, Tāngata whenua, Tauira, Māori Doctoral Thesis, Dean's List of Exceptional Theses