Kerre Woodham: There are benefits to affirmative action policies

I know for many people affirmative action programmes are a real sticking point. A new report in the New Zealand Medical Journal, has found that affirmative action programs at the University of Otago have however, significantly lifted Māori, Pacific, and rural enrolments over the last 30 years. Where they have failed is increasing the student numbers from poorer backgrounds.  

So people don't like them, but they do actually work. Māori made up 20% of enrolments at the university's medical school over the last four years, reaching parity with European and Asian enrolments for the first time. For a very long time, that wasn't the case. Ten years ago, 7.6% of new domestic medical students at Otago identified as Māori, 2.7% as Pasifika, so that shows up in the workforce in which only 3.4% are Māori, 1.8% Pasifika. However, after more robust affirmative action policies were implemented at our medical schools there was a big change. By 2016, Māori and Pasifika students entering Otago Medical School had increased by 179%. Māori were about 16% of domestic students, Pasifika about 5.6%, which is pretty much in line with how they're represented in the population.  

However, health profession courses at Otago are still dominated by students from wealthy backgrounds and top schools, despite rare efforts to recruit more people from poorer communities. So, if you're wealthy you're going to be fine if you want to be a doctor, you're going to be particularly fine if you're wealthy, comfortably middle class and Māori/Pasifika. Barack Obama famously said his two daughters, who have grown up in a privileged background, should not benefit from affirmative action programs when they are competing with students from poor white families.  

What's more important? Your ethnic identity or your background? It's easy to dismiss affirmative action as racist or lowering standards, but just remember that if you're a woman you have been able to benefit enormously from affirmative action in just about every sphere of society - law, engineering, medical school. There was a time when it was thought only men had the brains and the mettle to make it in medicine. Affirmative action opened the door to women and now it's no longer needed. Women can see it and know they can be it.  

Women now make up nearly 2/3 of all enrolments in health professional programs, up slightly from 1994. In fact, universities are starting to be concerned by the relative underrepresentation of young men in tertiary education and may well have to have a program encouraging young men to enrol at university in a number of courses. Places may well have to be kept for men in law school so that their profession is not flooded with women.  

When you look at people who have received scholarships, you cannot really go past Sir Peter Buck, and this was at a time when standards were phenomenally high for anybody entering the profession. He went to Te Aute College, the Māori secondary school, got a scholarship to Otago University, where he graduated in medicine. He was awarded so many degrees, from so many prestigious universities —Yale, Rochester, Hawaii— he received military medals for distinguished service in wars, he was an anthropologist, he worked in public health. This was a scholarship kid, he did okay.  

As did Māui Pōmare, which are from the young Māori Party who were a phenomenally talented group of young people and went on to equit themselves at the very highest level, with the very highest honours. Not every scholarship kid's going to be like that. Not everybody who is a recipient of affirmative action is going to be like that. Once you're in, you have to pass. And I don't know about you, but there are some incredibly clever, clever people who become doctors who probably shouldn't. They're smart, no doubt about that, they ace the exams. But when it comes to people? Not so much. Maybe they should go into pathology wh

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Kerrywood and Mornings podcast from News
Talk SEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
I know for many people, affirmative action programs are a
real sticking point. A new report in the New Zealand
Medical Journal has found that affirmative action programs at the
University of Otago have, however, significantly lifted Mary, Pacific and
rural enrollments over the last thirty years. Where they have

(00:32):
failed is increasing the student numbers from poorer backgrounds, so
people don't like them, but they do actually work. Marty
made up twenty percent of enrollments at the university's medical
school over the last four years, reaching parity with European
and Asian enrollments for the first time for a very
long time. That wasn't the case ten years ago. Seven

(00:56):
point six percent of new domestic medical students at Otago
identified as Marty, two point seven percent as PACIFICA. So
that's up in the workforce in which only three point
four percent of MARII one point eight percent Pacificate. However,
after more robust affirmative action policies were implemented at our

(01:17):
medical schools after twenty ten, there was a big change.
By twenty sixteen, MARI and pacific A students entering a
Targo medical school had increased by one hundred and seventy
nine percent. Mary were about sixteen percent. Of domestic students
Pacific are about five point six, which is pretty much

(01:37):
in line with how they're represented in the population. However,
health profession courses at O Tago are still dominated by
students from wealthy backgrounds and top schools, despite raal efforts
to recruit more people from poorer communities. So if you're wealthy,

(02:01):
you're going to be fine. If you want to be
a doctor, you're going to be particularly fine if you're wealthy,
comfortably middle class and Mario Pacifica. Barack Obama famously said
his two daughters, who have grown up in a privileged background,
should not benefit from affirmative action programs when they are

(02:21):
competing with students from poor white families. What's more important
your ethnic identity or your background. It's easy to dismiss
affirmative action as racist or lowering standards, but just remember
that if you are a woman, you have been able

(02:44):
to benefit enormously from affirmative action and just about every
sphere of society. Law, engineering, medical school. There was a
time when it was thought only men had the brains
and the metal to make it. In medicine, affirmative action
opened the door to women, and now it's no longer needed.

(03:06):
Women can see it and know they can be it.
Women now made up nearly two thirds of all enrollments
in health professional programs, up slightly from nineteen ninety four.
In fact, universities are starting to be concerned by the
relative underrepresentation of young men in tertiary education and may
well have to have a program encouraging young men to

(03:29):
enroll at university in a number of courses. Places may
well have to be kept for men in law school
so that their profession is not flooded with women. When
you look at people who have received scholarships, I mean
you cannot really go past Sir Peter Buck. And this

(03:50):
was at a time when standards were phenomenally high for
anybody entering the profession. He went to Taoti College, the
Maori Secondary School, got a scholarship to O Targo University,
where he graduated in medicine. He has been awarded so many,
so many degrees from so many prestigious universities, or was

(04:13):
not has Yale, Rochester Kwai. He received military medals for
distinguished service and wars. He was an anthropologist. He worked
in public health. Ye, this was a scholarship kid. He
did okay, as did may Pomere, which are from the

(04:33):
Young Maori Party, who were a phenomenally talented group of
young people and went on to acquit themselves at the
very highest level with the very highest honors. Not every
scholarship kid is going to be like that. Not everybody

(04:55):
who is a recipient of affirmative action is going to
be like that. Once you're in, you have to pass.
And I don't know about you, but there are some
some incredibly clever, clever people who become doctors who probably shouldn't.
They're smart, no doubt about that. They ace the exams

(05:17):
when it comes to people not so much, don't really care.
Maybe they should go on to pathology where they can
just cut up dead things rather than deal with people
one on one. And an ideal world, we'd all start
the same, we'd all have the same opportunities, we'd all

(05:39):
have the same choices. This is not an ideal world.
So when it comes to affirmative action, I know, ideally
we'd all compete on the same level playing field. But
as a woman, because I have seen so many of
this gender benefit to the point that we're now going

(06:00):
to have to start thinking about offering affirmative action policies
to young men. I can see it's benefits.

Speaker 1 (06:07):
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