Evaluating Indigenous health workforce development interventions for Māori and Indigenous Pacific tertiary students: success at Waipapa Taumata Rau | The University of Auckland (2016–2023).

This article evaluates the impact of the Māori and Pacific Admission Scheme (MAPAS) and the Hikitia Te Ora foundation programme—key components of the Vision 20:20 Indigenous-led strategy at Waipapa Taumata Rau The University of Auckland—on the educational outcomes of Māori and Indigenous Pacific tertiary health students from 2016 to 2023. Using standard Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) indicators, the study found that MAPAS-supported students consistently outperformed all Māori and Pacific students at the university in course pass rates, retention, and graduation rates, with differences ranging from 8 to 23 percentage points. The programmes provide culturally safe, holistic support addressing systemic inequities rooted in colonisation and socio-economic disadvantage, contributing to increased recruitment, retention, and graduation of Indigenous health professionals. The authors recommend sustained investment in such pro-equity initiatives and institutional reforms to create culturally safe learning environments, aiming for at least 30% Māori and 15% Pacific graduates in health professional programmes to better reflect Aotearoa’s population demographics.