Pasifika Youth in South Auckland

Pasifika youth make a significant impact on the demographic profile of South Auckland and are a major focus of the many projections regarding population, employment and education in Aotearoa/New Zealand.

The place of family and community is regarded as an important influence on the future of Pasifika youth yet how these youth view the place of Pasifika families in the future is not adequately covered in the research literature. As more Pasifika youth are thought to be joining gangs, there are also concerns as to whether the gangs have replaced the family for Pasifika youth and whether the street has become home to these youth.

The aim of this study was to interview Pasifika youth from the suburbs of Mängere and Ötara – including those who were involved in gangs and those who had never been involved in gangs or had transitioned out of gang life – in an effort to obtain information on:

• how Pasifika youth understood family and how they perceived family in relation to the future
• the perspectives of young Pasifika people on gangs, community, culture and leadership
• why some Pasifika youth did not join gangs; why some Pasifika youth were joining gangs; and the support systems Pasifika youth had, and used, to remain out of gangs
• the views and experiences of exiting gang life for Pasifika ex-gang members and the mechanisms that had assisted them to transition out of gang life
• whether the family and the home were being replaced by the gang and the street for Pasifika youth involved in gangs.

This research was funded by the Families Commission's Pacific Families Now and in the Future project. It was produced by Dr Camille Nakhid, AUT University, and Tupetoa Ronji Tanielu & Efeso Collins, Catalyst Solutions.