Culture Crossroads: Dealing with the Pressures and Demands on Pacific Islanders Living in Aotearoa

They feel under pressure in their lives in Aotearoa. In response, many older Pasifika people and those raised in the Pacific Islands, choose to run their Aotearoa churches and take part in the life of their church in the same way they did in the Islands. This brings them comfort and a feeling of security. Younger Pasifika people and those born or raised mainly in New Zealand are caught between the expectations of their parents and wider family to adhere to island culture and traditions and wanting to live a freer Kiwi lifestyle. They must learn to put the needs of their immediate family and children first and be disciplined in how they handle their finances, and their giving to their churches and extended family. Successful Pasifika sports people, and professionals in other fields, are expected to give money to their extended family in New Zealand and the Islands. In some extreme cases this pressure has caused sports people to suicide. Ruby suggests that churches in New Zealand generally, and Pasifika members as a sub-group within their national bodies, should have the right to decide for themselves their response to theological and ethical issues. These issues feed into an argument that Aotearoa should have a written constitution that acknowledges the tenets of all faiths, religions, cultures and ethnicities.