Why isn’t my professor mäori?: A snapshot of the academic workforce in New Zealand universities

Abstract

This article provides insights into the ethnicity of academics employed by Aotearoa New Zealand’s eight universities, with a particular focus on Mäori academics. We show that, despite values espoused by universities in terms of diversity and within their equity policies regarding Mäori staff, there has been no progress in increasing the Mäori academic workforce. Mäori academics were severely under-represented at universities between 2012 and 2017, comprising approximately 5% of the total academic workforce. This raises questions about the will of universities to build a sustainable Mäori academic workforce, their level of commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the notion of partnership, and the efficacy of academic equity and diversity policies. We highlightthe immediate need for universities to move beyond diversity and equity statements and not only commit to, but also initiate, significant actions to recruit, retain, support and promote Mäori scholars within the academy.