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Another emphasis in this strategy is on the support for research students and emerging researchers.

Increased participation and completion of doctoral degrees

Formal training in research is mainly carried out through postgraduate research degrees, particularly at doctoral level. Between 1997 and 2002, enrolments in doctoral studies at tertiary education providers increased by 31 percent. Over the same period, completions of PhDs have increased by 41 percent.

Figure 45: Enrolments in, and completions of, PhD qualifications, 1997–2002

Women, Māori and Pasifika remain under-represented in research degrees

Women were under-represented in enrolments in research degrees in 2002, but the trends are positive. In 2002, while women represented 57 percent of all formal enrolments in tertiary education and 58 percent of all postgraduate enrolments, they constituted only 48 percent of doctoral enrolments. The corresponding figure for 1997 was 43 percent. Enrolments by women in doctoral degrees have grown by more than 48 percent over the last six years while doctoral enrolments as a whole grew by 31 percent.

In 2002, Māori made up six percent of doctoral enrolments, whereas Māori constituted 20 percent of all enrolments in tertiary education and eight percent of all postgraduate enrolments. The rate of participation of Māori in postgraduate study in 2002 was little more than half the rate of non-Māori – 0.5 percent of the population over the age of 15, compared with 0.9 percent for non-Māori. While these statistics show that Māori are still not engaging in postgraduate study to the same extent as the whole population, Māori enrolments in postgraduate qualifications have grown faster than for the whole population. Māori doctoral enrolments have grown by 96 percent over the last six years, from 103 to 201. This is around three times the rate of growth in doctoral enrolments as a whole.

The trend is more mixed for Pasifika peoples. Pasifika students constitute only one percent of doctoral enrolments but 5.5 percent of all tertiary enrolments. At the doctoral level, Pasifika enrolments rose by 37 percent, over the period 1997 to 2002, while for the whole population doctoral enrolments grew by 31 percent. The rate of participation by Pasifika peoples in postgraduate study was low; only 0.4 percent of the Pasifika population aged 15 or over was enrolled in postgraduate study on 31 July 2002. The rate for the population as a whole was twice that – 0.8 percent.

The new research funding formula, under the PBRF, will provide additional funding for TEOs on the basis of the number of Māori and Pasifika research-based postgraduate degree completions.

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• Table of Contents

• The Baseline Picture

• Cross Strategy Indicators

• Raise foundation skills

• Skills for our knowledge society

• Strengthen research and knowledge creation

• Te rautaki mātauranga Māori

• Pacific people’s development and success

• Capability and quality

• Technical and Data Definitions