He pī, ka rere: Māori Early Career Academics in New Zealand Universities

Māori are the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand. They constitute 15% of the population but are under-represented in university academic appointments, making up just 6% of the total number of academics in New Zealand. Drawing from earlier research on Māori in academia, and the questionnaire data from the wider New Zealand project on all early career academics, this chapter identifies particular experiences and challenges encountered by Māori academics. It outlines their demographic characteristics and prior training and experiences, noting some differences and commonalities with other academics. While it is unrealistic to assume that all Māori early career academics experience their university work in the same way, it is clear that there are particular structural interactions and expectations that make working life for many Māori academics different from that of their colleagues.