MAPAS — Māori and Pacific Admission Scheme
Auckland FMHS · 2027 Entry · Eligibility · MH04 · Specialty Interview
MAPAS — the Māori and Pacific Admission Scheme — is a dedicated admission pathway at the University of Auckland Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences (FMHS). It recognises the importance of increasing the proportion of Māori and Pacific doctors practising in Aotearoa New Zealand, both to meet health workforce needs and to honour the commitments of Te Tiriti o Waitangi to Māori health equity. MAPAS does not lower academic standards — eligible applicants follow the same first-year gateway requirements as all other applicants — but it provides a separate ranking pool and a Specialty Interview assessed by the MAPAS Admissions Panel. This guide explains who is eligible, how to apply, what to expect from the Specialty Interview and how to prepare.
Te Tiriti, Hauora Māori and mātauranga Māori
MAPAS sits within a broader commitment by Auckland FMHS to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which the university recognises as founding the relationship between Māori and the Crown and imposing obligations of tino rangatiratanga (self-determination), partnership and active protection of Māori health. The MBChB curriculum at Auckland integrates hauora Māori (Māori health) across all six years, including clinical training with Māori health providers and learning within mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) frameworks.
Pacific health equity is addressed through recognition of diverse Pacific communities, whānau-centred approaches to healthcare, and Pacific-focused clinical placements. The FMHS acknowledges that the Pacific health workforce is significantly under-represented relative to population, and MAPAS is one structural mechanism to address this.
Applicants preparing for the MAPAS Specialty Interview should develop a grounded understanding of these frameworks — not as abstract concepts, but as lived perspectives they can speak to from personal and community experience.
Eligibility
To be eligible for MAPAS at Auckland FMHS you must meet all of the following criteria:
- Be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident
- Have applied to an FMHS programme (MBChB or other FMHS undergraduate programme) at the University of Auckland
- Have verified Māori whakapapa (indigenous New Zealand Māori ancestry), or a verified connection to a Pacific community — as assessed by the MAPAS Admissions Panel
Verification of whakapapa or Pacific community connection is assessed by the MAPAS Admissions Panel through the MH04 form. Community involvement, cultural engagement, and evidence of connection to your community are considered.
Eligibility does not depend on being enrolled in any particular first-year programme — you apply to MAPAS through the FMHS admissions system alongside your BHSc or BSc Biomed enrolment.
The MAPAS application process
Enrol at the University of Auckland in BHSc or BSc Biomed (the gateway programmes for MBChB). Submit your standard FMHS programme application by the published deadline.
The MH04 form is the MAPAS eligibility application. It documents your whakapapa or Pacific community connection and asks about community involvement, support systems, and personal qualities relevant to health equity. The MAPAS deadline is typically earlier than the general MBChB application deadline — check the FMHS admissions calendar each cycle. Submitting your programme application alone is not sufficient.
Complete all 7 prescribed FMHS courses full-time during your first year (BHSc or BSc Biomed). Achieve a minimum GPA of 6.0 (B+) with no fails. Sit UCAT-ANZ in July and meet the required threshold.
Complete the standard 8-station asynchronous Kira Talent MMI (7 assessed stations + 1 administrative station). MAPAS applicants are required to complete this in addition to the Specialty Interview.
Eligible applicants attend the 5-station MAPAS Specialty Interview, conducted by the MAPAS Admissions Panel. This is a separate interview from the general MMI. The Panel evaluates academic ability alongside qualitative assessment of your community connection, support systems, personal qualities and commitment to Māori and Pacific health outcomes.
Following both interviews, the MAPAS Admissions Panel ranks MAPAS applicants in a separate pool. Offers are made from this pool. The quota is not separately published — offers are made based on available places and applicant quality in each cycle.
Preparing for the MAPAS Specialty Interview
The MAPAS Specialty Interview has 5 stations and is run by the MAPAS Admissions Panel. It assesses qualitative attributes in the context of your Māori or Pacific identity and community connection. While the specific station prompts are not published, preparation should cover the following areas:
- Whakapapa / Pacific community connection: Be able to speak clearly and authentically about your whakapapa or community belonging — who your people are, where you are from, and how that shapes your sense of identity and responsibility.
- Community involvement: Reflect on specific roles, relationships and contributions within your hapū, iwi, Whānau Ora service, Pacific church community or other cultural or community organisations. Concrete examples matter.
- Motivation for medicine through a Māori or Pacific lens: Why do Aotearoa New Zealand's Māori and Pacific communities need more doctors from within those communities? What role does cultural safety, whānau-centred care and trust play? How does your background equip you to contribute?
- Te Tiriti o Waitangi in health: Understand the three articles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and how they translate into health policy and clinical practice — partnership, protection and participation.
- Health disparities: Be familiar with documented health outcome disparities between Māori and Pacific peoples and the general population in Aotearoa New Zealand (e.g. life expectancy, cancer screening, cardiovascular disease, mental health). Be able to discuss structural determinants, not just individual factors.
- Support systems: The Panel assesses whether you have the personal and community support to complete the demanding 6-year MBChB. Be honest and reflective about your support network.
Preparation for the general Kira Talent MMI (communication, ethical reasoning, problem-solving) runs in parallel — both sets of preparation reinforce each other. Book a coaching session to practise both:
Book MAPAS Specialty Interview coachingMāori and Pacific equity at Otago (Te Kauae Paraoa)
The University of Otago Division of Health Sciences does not use the MAPAS name, but operates a Māori and Pacific equity group under its Te Kauae Paraoa admissions policy. Eligible Māori and Pacific applicants at Otago are ranked in a separate sub-pool within their admission category (HSFY, Graduate or Alternative).
Unlike Auckland, Otago MBChB selection for HSFY and Graduate categories is academic ranking only — there is no separate specialty interview for Māori and Pacific applicants in these categories. The Te Kauae Paraoa policy provides equity weighting in the ranking, and the sub-pool typically has a lower competitive threshold than the general pool.
Quota numbers for the Otago Māori and Pacific sub-pool are not separately published on publicly available pages.
If you are eligible for both MAPAS at Auckland and the Māori/Pacific sub-pool at Otago, applying to both universities in the same cycle is possible and often advantageous.
Meaningful healthcare and community experience strengthens your MAPAS application by giving you concrete examples for the Specialty Interview. Particularly relevant organisations include Māori health providers, Whānau Ora collectives, Pacific health services, marae-based programmes, and community-led Pacific church health initiatives.
NZ work experience guideFrequently asked questions
Related NZ guides
- Get into Medical School NZ
Complete front-door guide to NZ medical school pathways.
- Otago HSFY deep guide
Papers, academic rank, BDS vs MBChB selection and competitive thresholds.
- Auckland RRAS guide
Rural eligibility, Statistics NZ classification, evidence required.
- NZ work experience guide
Te Whatu Ora, Hato Hone St John, Māori and Pacific providers.
Prepare for the MAPAS Specialty Interview
Our coaches help MAPAS applicants practise the Specialty Interview and the general Kira Talent MMI. Sessions are designed around NZ-specific hauora Māori and Pacific health themes.