Māori and Pacific academics have a significantly reduced chance of promotion and are paid substantially less than their colleagues at New Zealand's universities, a new study has found.
The authors say the inequities are irrespective of research performance, and were not explained by factors such as age or field of study.
The study, which examined the promotions and earnings of 17,174 academics from New Zealand's eight universities between 2003 and 2018, found that Māori and Pacific academics were significantly less likely to be promoted to the Professoriate - and earnt substantially less than their non-Māori and non-Pacific male scholars.
From its dataset, researchers established that Māori and Pasifika women were doubly hit, with a 65 percent lower chance of being promoted into the Professoriate. In 2018, they earned on average $7713 less than their non-Māori and non-Pacific male counterparts.
Data modelling also showed that the inequities would persist - or increase - over time, indicating that efforts to reduce inequality will not be enough to close the gap in promotions and earnings.
The authors have stressed that systemic change is urgently needed in New Zealand.
"This paper is a world-first because we were able to quantify institutional racism in promotions and related earnings at all universities within a single country," the lead author of the study, Dr Tara McAllister, told Science Media Centre (SMC).
"Universities need to urgently address the racial disparities in promotion, retention and recruitment of Māori and Pacific academics, establish a system that values and rewards Māori and Pacific scholarship and work towards building a sustainable Tiriti-led Māori and Pacific academic workforce."
Dr McAllister acknowledged that restructuring and hiring freezes due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic will further widen the divide, as many Māori and Pacific scholars are clustered in the junior ranks of academia where employment and income prospects are more uncertain.
President of the New Zealand Association of Scientists, Professor Troy Baisden from the University of Waikato, agreed that the findings have come at a crucial time.
"The effect of the pandemic on researchers and on budgets is likely to be exacerbating the inequality observed in this study. The pandemic’s disruption could make inequality much worse, but also creates opportunities for change to address diversity issues," he told SMC.
Associate Professor Nicola Gaston from the University of Auckland's Department of Physics called the findings "not all surprising - but shocking", while senior business and economics lecturer Dr Tyron Love called the conclusions "disturbing".
"It will be interesting to see where the authors go next, particularly as universities are heading down the path of re-writing their strategies and policies, as well as making hard calls around remuneration and changing job descriptions post COVID-19," he continued.
Auckland University of Technology Professor of Diversity and University Director of Diversity, Edwina Pio, echoed the authors calls for qualitative research, noting it may be possible that Māori and Pacific people may not choose to enter academia at the same rate as those from other ethnic backgrounds.
"It would also be useful to clearly indicate the years of service that Māori and Pacific academics have in universities and this linkage to promotions and earnings," Pio suggested.
"A comparison with non-Pākēha ethnic groups such as Indian, Chinese, African and other visible minority migrants may also make for useful analysis and recommendations.
"Additionally, it is crucial to ensure that Māori and Pacific academics have a seat when strategic initiatives are developed and planned, so that silences can be unmasked and voices of reason, re-distribution and relationality are honoured."
Previous research has shown that Māori and Pacific scholars are severely under-represented in New Zealand universities, making up approximately 5 percent and 1 percent of all academics respectively.
