Abstract:
Following the 'I, Too, Am Auckland' campaign launched in 2015, this research study examined the changes that were made, or not, two years after, by the largest university in Aotearoa New Zealand. This was in response to racial discrimination experienced by Māori and Pasifika students. The study involved focus group and individual interviews of 10 Māori and Pasifika participants who participated or were involved in the I, Too, Am Auckland project. Using Community-based participatory research as the overall methodology, and implementing Talanoa and kaupapa Māori as research methods, the study highlights the lack of changes that were implemented by the educational institution relating to racism in the subsequent two-year period. Following data analysis, the four themes of (1) Normalised racism, (2) Treatment, (3) Passive change, and (4) Interventions expose the ongoing commonality of racism that is embedded in the university, discusses the experiences of Māori and Pasifika students after the social media project, deconstructs the minimal changes implemented by the institution, and recommends solutions to eradicate racism from the campus. The implications of the findings of this study focus on the need for a racial campus climate audit to be conducted at the university.