Implementing and evaluating the efficacy of a Pasifika Resource Kit within three Canterbury tertiary institutions

Motivated by continuing educational disparities for Pasifika, and the paucity of research around Pasifika strategies coming out of the South Island, Pasifika staff at the University of Canterbury (UC), Ara Institute of Canterbury (Ara) and Lincoln University (LU) established a research project initially looking at Pasifika success. The research team concluded that success could be defined quite differently for Pasifika students compared to how institutions measure success; so they believed there was a need to firstly establish what success meant to Pasifika students. If the research project was able to identify and better understand what Pasifika students saw as success, then effective strategies that would enhance and support Pasifika success within tertiary institutions could be developed.
A direct outcome of the main report was a proposed Pasifika Resource Kit which was designed based on recommended change strategies.
Project three, which has currently been in operation over the past 13 months, was cofunded by the Ako Aotearoa National Project Fund and the 3 tertiary institutions, and focused on implementing the Pasifika Resource Kit. While the implementation process was being conducted, an evaluation process was carried out simultaneously.
This report examines project three, firstly by setting an overview; secondly, unpacking in detail the Pasifika Resource Kit; thirdly, discussing the methods and objectives of the two phases of the project (implementation and evaluation); and fourthly, presenting the process and the findings of the evaluation.