Representations of Pacific Peoples in the New Zealand School Journal

Abstract

The general image of the Pacific and Pacific peoples that emerges from resources for schools is “often superficial and limited to cultural components of ritual and artefacts such as food, dance, music, and dress” (Siteine & Samu, 2009, p. 51). Limited research exists, however, about the representation of Pacific peoples and the types of understandings that students develop about Pacific peoples. This paper reports on a study that set out to investigate the ways in which Pacific peoples were represented in the New Zealand School Journal. This research focuses on journal issues from the years 2002 to 2009. Journals were analysed for the frequency of representation, activities, language and roles of Pacific peoples. The findings confirm that Pacific peoples are often depicted in stereotypical ways. These findings are seen as potentially problematic as they reinforce ideological and deficit views of Pacific peoples, their location and identity in New Zealand society.