“Pacific are a potential to be realised. Not a problem to be solved.”
Winona Ngaro-Malifa
Pacific learners enter tertiary education grounded in rich cultural values, communal intelligence, and intergenerational resilience. Their journeys, however, often unfold in systems that do not yet reflect the depth of their knowledge, ways of learning, and community expectations. Our challenge is not to “lift” Pacific learners into success, but to create educational spaces that recognise and reflect the mana they already carry.
Tertiary education in Aotearoa New Zealand has made progress but continues to carry the imprint of systems not designed with Pacific peoples in mind. By reorienting our thinking from fixing to honouring, from gaps to gifts, and from marginalisation to inclusion, we can create a future where Pacific learners thrive.
While there is no one solution, a significant amount of work has been done within the sector to equip educators with the tools they need to support Pacific on their journey of lifelong learning.
Cultural knowledge as the solution
Multilingualism, family collectivism, spirituality, oral traditions, creativity, adaptability, and leadership are all integral to what Pacific learners have to offer from a young age. They are not traits to be added into the education system — they are foundations on which new futures can be built.
The education system must recognise that Pacific learners do not lack potential—they encounter learning environments that often do not reflect their worldviews, learning rhythms, or relational priorities.
Whilst Pacific learner participation rates for the past 20 years have been at or above the total population average, particularly for older learners (25 years and above), completion rates for Pacific learners are consistently amongst the lowest. This misalignment calls not for fixing learners, but for rethinking the system.
Studies reflect system faults
Often referred to as the ‘literacy and numeracy census of the world’, the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) 2023 survey indicates that Pacific communities have been disproportionately affected by gaps in foundational literacy and numeracy skills.
These gaps are more prevalent among younger adults who have recently completed secondary education, as many enter the tertiary education sector without the necessary skills to thrive. In turn, this impacts earning capacity and contributes to broader socio-economic challenges. For a positive shift to occur, educators must adapt their approach to supporting Pacific learners by addressing these barriers, and tertiary institutions must embrace Pacific-led initiatives.
Solutions to improving Pacific learners’ success
Like all learners, no one-size-fits-all learning approach will improve Pacific outcomes. People learn at different paces, using various styles, and there are multiple factors to consider when choosing the best way to meet a learner’s unique needs. Our research, supported by the sector, has found that combining a holistic approach and interwoven contributions made by people, place, practices and pedagogies is key to delivering successful outcomes for Pacific learners in tertiary education.
The most appropriate analogy for these learners and their families is a learning village, where teaching and support are communal, relationships are honoured, and belonging is foundational.
When we honour the vā—relational spaces between people, places, and knowledge—we create learning environments where Pacific learners thrive.
These contributions form three pillars, which educational organisations are encouraged to incorporate within their policies, values and specific targets for Pacific achievement:
Source: Success for Pacific in tertiary education: Highlights from Ako Aotearoa-supported research
To encourage institutional and sectoral improvements, Ako Aotearoa co-funded a research project that explored the preferred learning styles of Pacific learners and the key attributes of phenomenal educators who successfully support their achievement. Undertaken by Dr Cherie Chu-Fuluifaga and Janice Ikiua-Pasi, the project resulted in the development of the The Kato Toolkit - a culturally grounded framework that encompasses 10 habits for educators key to Pacific learner success.
Each habit is a reflection of Pacific wisdom in action. It is not a checklist; it is a woven kete of Pacific ancestral insight and pedagogical wisdom. These 10 habits emerged from the lived realities and reflective practices of educators who truly see Pacific learners:
- Habit 1 | Fenua: Ground yourself in a pedagogy of reflection
- Habit 2 | Moana: Know your Pacific learner and context
- Habit 3 | Vaka: Educate with phenomenal Pacific-centric methods
- Habit 4 | Le Teu le Va: Building teaching and learning relationships with Pacific learners
- Habit 5 | Ola: Develop phenomenal practices
- Habit 6 | Teatea: Instil motivation & good work habits
- Habit 7 | Aupuru: Embrace creativity & enthusiasm
- Habit 8 | Putuputu: Create a Pacific learning community
- Habit 9 | Arofa: Enable mentoring to be a natural part of your teaching and manage the ‘wobbles’ that arise
- Habit 10 | Tiama: Deconstruct and emancipate your learners’ experiences
The Action Plan for Pacific Education
Real change happens within communities but can only be achieved with government backing. The Ministry of Education (MoE) has outlined its commitment to improving Pacific learner outcomes in the latest Action Plan for Pacific Education (2023).
The Action Plan identifies 5 key shifts and a set of actions that are needed to achieve this vision:
- Work reciprocally with diverse Pacific communities to respond to unmet needs, including growing and supporting Pacific bilingual and immersion education pathways.
- Confront systemic racism and discrimination in education.
- Enable every teacher, leader and educational professional to take coordinated action to become culturally competent with diverse Pacific learners.
- Partner with families to design education opportunities together with teachers, leaders and educational professionals so aspirations for learning and employment can be met.
- Grow, retain and value highly competent teachers, leaders and educational professionals with diverse Pacific whakapapa.
The government has yet to release its 2023 refreshed Action Plan progress report. Ako Aotearoa and the broader tertiary education sector look forward to reviewing its findings.
A specifically Pacific approach to education
Lived experience, combined with in-depth research, highlights the diversity within the Pacific learner community and the multiplicity of the programmes and educational organisations they are involved in. Tertiary education institutions can offer solutions by adopting a holistic approach to education that is culturally inclusive and specifically Pacific.
Our research emphasises that incorporating Pacific values, culture, perspectives and experiences into educational practices and engaging with learners directly can be transformational for Pacific learners and their educators.
Let us move forward—not by asking Pacific learners to fit the system, but by transforming education to reflect the fullness of Pacific people.
Ako Aotearoa is a government-funded organisation committed to supporting the country’s tertiary sector teachers, trainers, and educators to be the best they can be for the success of all learners.