Dilution of Effective Equity Strategies?

The Aotearoa New Zealand Government through the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) provides funding for Equity strategies to increase participation and success for Māori students, Pacific students, (and although not part of... [ view full abstract ]

The Aotearoa New Zealand Government through the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) provides funding for Equity strategies to increase participation and success for Māori students, Pacific students, (and although not part of this presentation - students with disabilities). AUT University prior to 2006 had a central model to manage Equity. This consisted of the Equity Centre of Development with a Head of Centre, and a team which included a data analyst, executive assistance, and systems co-coordinator for the strategy called Integrated Team Model of Student Success (ITMOSS). The Centre also had responsibility and oversight for ensuring consistency across AUT in operational delivery of for example EEO, Ed O as well as gender, and multi-ethnicities. From 2006 with a shifting emphasis to incorporate diversity as well as Equity, and devolution of funding and initiatives being from a central model to being embedded within each faculty changes have occurred. By revisiting reviews of programmes, correspondence, notes and other archival material we have traced some of the changes that have occurred as AUT moved from a central to faculty based model. With the funding being determined by faculties several changes have occurred. One of the most crucial is that faculties have developed a range of different models better suited to their students. Faculties have taken more ownership for the success of Equity strategies, providing additional finance for salaries and/or time release for faculty Equity staff members. Unfortunately alongside these gains have been losses. Government funding emphasis on TEC target groups has at AUT resulted in no one senior person or centre with responsibility for Equity in its broadest sense. Also lost is provision of data to provide comparisons with national/demographic trends. Importantly, there has been a swamping of Equity with issues that are more about diversity leading to dilution of the significance of Equity.