Whai Te Iti Kahurangi - Maori Women in Higher Education: the Educational Experiences of Five Maori Women at Victoria University of Wellington

Abstract

This thesis was planned in consultation with the women of my whanau and one academic supervisor. The main method of data collection was in-depth interviews with five Maori women undertaking the Master of Education degree at Victoria University of Wellington in 1993. I used the case study approach as a means of investigating the actual educational experiences of these Maori women. The aim of this study was to find out what factors determined the presence of these five women at the tertiary level as well as documenting the experiences they encountered during their tertiary education. Sources used have been primarily the voices of these women through interviews that were undertaken. However, also included is the documentation by Pakeha and Maori educationalists. Documentation comprises of six chapters. They are as follows; the need for Maori feminist research; an overview of the educational policies as they affected my whanau and I; the processes and methods used in this study; a presentation of the women's stories; an analysis of the data and future directions concerning Maori women in tertiary education. The experiences of these five women are "taonga" and are testimony to the challenges they face as Maori women in New Zealand society. Finally, this study is analysed from a Maori woman's perspective highlighting the need for government to redress the problems of racism and sexism as they affect Maori women in tertiary education.