The number of Maori students graduating from Canterbury University at a special ceremony on Thursday, is more than twice that for last year.
Rawiri Taonui, the head of Aotahi, the School of Maori and Indigenous Studies, says it's a sign the university is finding ways to appeal to Maori students.
He told Waatea News that 18 of the 39 graduates represent the first intake to come through undergraduate courses within his department.