Abstract:
Networks. Culture. Economy. Spaces; four main concepts that help build-up the focal ideas of this thesis. The growing population of Auckland as a culturally diverse space also introduced a diverse market of opportunities. A great sphere of opportunities for a variety of ethnic groups to settle and call Auckland their home. This also creates a distinct market that New Zealand will adhere to as different ethnic communities will incorporate their own characteristics to the economy. So what will be these characteristics to the economy? What other factors that makes each group significant to the economy? My thesis was based on the idea that there is an increasing Samoan economy in Auckland. To analyse this idea, I chose to travel through the Samoan Food network focusing on the journey of the taro as a cultural representation, iconic traditional object and a marketing investment for economic transaction. While traveling through this network, I also found myself embedded in a variety of practises, perspectives, outcomes and meanings from forces surrounding the taro. My methodology however derived from the „Following‟ method introduced in Ian Cooks (2003) paper “Follow the thing: Papaya”. This success story also helped me in my journey through the taro network economy and established relationships and linkages between the actors in the taro, what their stories are and what outcomes of these connections implies on the Samoan food network as a whole.
