Connections and Separations: Reflections on Using Pacific Research Methods with Pacific Youth in Auckland

Abstract

While Pacific research methods are now widely used, there are emerging arguments around the “correct” application of these methods given the contemporary research settings in which they are often applied and the different philosophical, cultural and social elements that influence their application in practice, especially in Aotearoa New Zealand and Pacific youth contexts. This paper argues that reified contemporary forms of Pacific research methods may not necessarily align with traditional Indigenous practices and protocol, but the values underpinning these methods remain central to engaging and doing effective research with increasingly multifaceted and, at times, culturally ambivalent Pacific communities in Auckland. This article explores the experiences of an early-career Pacific researcher doing research with young Pacific men in Auckland, Aotearoa, with a particular focus on negotiating tensions of connection and separation when using Pacific research methods in contemporary diaspora settings. The diverse range of cultural knowledges and understandings among Pacific youth in Auckland emphasise the wider acculturative patterns emerging within Aotearoa’s Pacific communities, thereby underlining the need to discuss how we can adapt Pacific research methods so that they are inclusive of these diverse cultural knowledges and enable research methods that empower, rather than alienate, the increasing number of second-, third- and fourth-generation Aotearoa-born Pacific people in Aotearoa. This paper affirms the legitimacy of Indigenous Pacific knowledge and research methods as a platform for revisioning what culturally appropriate research can look like and developing Pacific research practices that acknowledge the lived realities of the communities taking part. This is an important step towards sustaining Pacific research in which contemporary Pacific communities, particularly youth, can recognise themselves and their aspirations for the future.