Home /

Big read: The gap between the rich and poor at university

Kirsty Johnston
By
Reporter·NZ Herald·
19 mins to read


New university data indicates the circumstances you're born into are likely yours for life.

She was a high school drop-out at age 14, working in a cafe at 18. If you'd asked her back then, there was no way Ashley Insley would have imagined she'd go on to become a doctor. In her hometown of Te Kaha, a tiny village on the impoverished East Coast, no one had dreams like that. The usual route was to leave school and get a job to help support your family, who were likely living week-to-week.

"I'd never

Save