This report details the methodology and analysis underpinning a recent research summary produced for a school audience. The summary and the overall study explored students’ experiences of discrimination and how school, teacher, and student practices are associated with, and mitigate, those experiences.
The study used Wellbeing@School (W@S) student survey data collected between 2023 and 2025 from 108,379 students across 643 New Zealand primary, intermediate, and secondary schools. We explored three questions:
- What is the prevalence of discrimination in schools?
- To what extent are various school and student characteristics associated with higher or lower levels of discrimination?
- Are there school, teacher, or student practices associated with lower levels of discrimination?
An indicator of discrimination
As an indicator of the prevalence of discrimination, we used students’ responses to the question “Do other students say mean things about your culture or family?”
Students who reported experiencing this behaviour at least monthly were classified as experiencing discrimination at school relating to culture or family. On average, 20% of students reported at least monthly experiences of this form of discrimination.
Some students were more likely to report experiencing this form of discrimination
- Students who identified as “another gender” were more likely to report experiencing this form of discrimination (31%) than boys (22%) or girls (15%).
- In terms of ethnicity, students who identified as Pacific were the most likely to experience this form of discrimination (25%), followed by Asian (23%), and Māori (22%).
- For some ethnic groups, younger students (Years 4–8) were more likely to experience this form of discrimination than older students. This was particularly the case for Pacific and Asian students.
- Māori students reported similar levels across all years.
- Students at schools with more Equity Index (EQI) barriers were more likely to experience this form of discrimination (24%), compared with those at schools with moderate (20%) or fewer barriers (16%)
Tackling discrimination depends on a mix of school-wide, teacher, and student actions
We applied Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to W@S data to examine how school, teacher, and student practices were associated with students’ reports of discrimination. The findings suggest that tackling this form of discrimination requires connected actions across the school community.
- School climate matters: When a school feels safe, fair, relationship-focused, and culturally inclusive, this sets a positive tone for both teachers and students.
- Teachers play a big role: Teachers help create this positive climate in their classrooms. They model inclusive behaviour, respond quickly when issues arise, and help students learn strategies to deal with discrimination.
- Students’ peer culture and their capabilities also act to decrease discrimination: Discrimination is less common when students treat each other in ways that reflect the school’s values. If students feel they can express themselves and seek help, this also helps reduce discrimination.
Some schools were more successful at tackling discrimination than others
Based on the SEM modelling findings, we looked more closely at how these associations appeared at the school level. In the 10% of schools with the lowest reported levels of discrimination, only 10% of students reported experiencing discrimination at least monthly. In contrast, in the 10% of schools with the highest reported levels of discrimination, this proportion rose to 27%.
Summing up
This study shows that discrimination is common in New Zealand schools; however, some schools are more successful at tackling it than others. Everyone in the immediate school community (school leaders, teachers, and students) has a role to play in reducing discrimination.
These findings highlight some important equity issues. Students who identified as another gender, or as Pacific, Asian, or Māori, reported more experiences of discrimination than other students. These findings suggest it is important for schools to actively model and embed gender and culturally inclusive practices in order to better tackle discrimination aimed at these students.
Differences in the level of discrimination reported by students of different ethnicities and year levels suggest that education and support aimed at tackling discrimination may need to be focused and timed differently so it can be better tailored to when different groups of students are most likely to be experiencing discrimination related to their culture or family.