The bottom of the pit

Most of the initial migration of Pacific Islanders to New Zealand occurred in the 1970s, just as the islands were beginning to industrialise and New Zealand was also undergoing significant economic change. The islands provided plentiful resources to feed small communities, but didn't equip them well for competitive, urban life. 'It's not dog eat dog. The culture didn't prepare us. We didn't emphasise education as vigorously,' says Dr Folaiki, noting that Asian cultures focused on small families and targeted all the family's resources on the children's education. 'Our families are often way too big and live in overcrowded conditions.'

The biggest predictors of juvenile justice presentations is being in the bottom tier of literacy and numeracy – in 2012, more than a third of Pacific Islanders in New Zealand did not complete the National Certificate of Education Achievement (NCEA), equivalent to the Year 10 school certificate in Australia.

There are no comparable statistics available from the NSW Department of Education.

Dr Folaiki says Cook Islanders value education, but are rarely engaged in the process. One successful program in Wellington targeted Pacific Islanders and trialed alternative education programs incorporating song and dance techniques as a possible source of optimism. He remains very guarded about the future prognosis. 'My community is just tracking along. Our practices are simply not conducive to creating an environment that can lead to meaningful roles for the twenty-first century economy.'

It's not clear that Ofato and Eli can escape such a pessimistic scenario. Having just turned eighteen, Ofato was fortunate to avoid jail. He was placed on parole and is attempting a TAFE course in graphic design. Eli had no further contact, which may have indicated recovery from his psychological symptoms, but did not necessarily ensure a viable future.