In the New Zealand Media, Pacific Island people are commonly represented as irresponsible and unable to make wise decisions. Often, the portrayal of Polynesians in New Zealand media show a culture which is drunk, lazy and live off the benefit. These representations cause negative stereotyping toward this culture, which is placing labels onto Pacific Islanders that aren’t entirely accurate and can be demeaning to the people of this culture who do not fit these certain stereotypes. This causes a racial division between the Polynesian and New Zealand ‘Kiwis’ within the country. The portrayal of Pacific Islanders is shown through a range of media sources, including television programmes, cartoons and movies, and as a result of this, New Zealand society believes the common stereotype.

The popular New Zealand animated television series “Bro Town” created by the comedy group “The Naked Samoans” has many aspects, which affirm the negative stereotypes of Pacific Island people in New Zealand. An example of this would be the character of the alcoholic Samoan man, Mr. Pepelo, a single father of two teenage boys. Commonly throughout the series Pepelo is seen as an overweight Samoan man who neglects his children and is constantly leaving them to go to the bar, seen with his signature line “I’m going to the pub, I may be some time.” In this particular episode, Mr. Pepelo’s sons, Vale and Velea are taken away from him by Child, Youth and Family Services (CYFs), and when faced in court to win them back all he has to say to his children is “I love you”. Initially Pepelo struggles to express his affection to his children and instead he declares his love for “piña colada” and “fighting”. However after having flashback of the birth of his sons when his wife tells him the will get an extra $12.90 on the benefit, he is able to tell them he loves them. This makes it seem as though the only reason Mr. Pepelo loves his children is because he receives extra money on the benefit which he uses to spend on alcohol at the pub.

This scene from Bro Town is creating a negative representation of Pacific Island people by giving them a drunk, irresponsible and ‘free loading’ depiction. This stereotype has been created by “The Naked Samoans” for comedic purposes and to provide humour and entertainment to their viewers. Considering the Polynesian background of the creators, the use of this negative stereotype could be satirical. The use of the exaggerated opinion that society has on Polynesian makes the stereotypes more obvious. This causes the characters to be more relatable and therefore creating a humorous feel. The Naked Samoans have used an exaggeration of the opinions that society has on Polynesian people by depicting a man who is constantly drinking and making a fool of himself. The fact that this man has language barriers, does not have a clear understanding of his requirements as a parent, and is clearly under the influence creates a plot that many people find funny and can laugh at.  Though it is comical, this portrayal of Pacific Islanders is unfair as not all Pacific Islanders fit this, and it creates a purely negative stereotype merely for the purpose of entertainment. They are creating a stereotypical and one-sided view on Pacific Islanders. This negative representation is negatively affecting the opinions of the New Zealand ‘Kiwis’, as people can be easily influenced by what they are constantly viewing in the media. The representation is being shown regularly which causes it to become a normal opinion of society. Therefore, since New Zealanders are continuously being shown media that puts Pacific Islanders in a bad light, portraying them as drunk and irresponsible, that is the opinion that will form of that racial group.

Bro Town was the top rating series for 5-12 year olds in 2005 (“Reality television” 2006). This shows that the animated series was highly popular and entertaining and due to this, there is a more widespread output of the negative stereotype of Pacific Islanders being seen not only by Pacific Islanders themselves, but also by other ethnicities within New Zealand, therefore influencing society’s opinions on Pacific Island people. The popularity of this television series means that New Zealand viewers are constantly being exposed to the negative stereotypes that it comprises of, and are therefore it is more likely to influence their opinion on Pacific Islanders though this may happen subconsciously. The series is being shown to international audiences including in Australia, Canada, Fiji… the Caribbean and Latin America. Negotiations are also underway to have it shown in the United States. [1] This shows that not only are the negative labels being shown to people within New Zealand but also in other countries around the world. Therefore the negative views on Polynesian people can potentially become a global view.

Cartoons seen in New Zealand newspapers are also showing Pacific Islanders in negative ways. For example in this cartoon by Al Nisbet poking fun at the Government's breakfasts in schools programme, published in Marlborough Express and The Press, the cartoonist has used adults of the Pacific Island race to get across a common opinion. The Pacific Island parents are seen to be dressed up in the children’s school uniforms to pass as children and receive the “free school food”. In the first fragment of the cartoon the Polynesian man, who seems to be a leader of some sort, is attempting to live off the free school meals given to his children, which is most likely being paid for by taxpayers, while using his money for alcohol, cigarettes and gambling. The man is seen to be saying, “If we can get away with this, the more cash left for booze, smokes and pokies!” In the second fragment t man is sitting with a beer and a child in his arms saying, “[Free school food] eases our poverty, and puts something in you kids’ bellies”. This is implying that without the free food that they are taking from the school, they would not be able to feed their children and they would rather spend their money on alcohol and cigarettes than spend it on food for themselves let alone their children. The Man and woman in the first fragment of the cartoon along with every character in the second are shown as overweight and lazy as they are all just sitting around the table drinking beer and smoking cigarettes.

This cartoon affirms the initial stereotype of Pacific Island people, that they are drunk and live off the benefit, making it seem as though they are dependent on the European or ‘Palagi’ people of New Zealand. Though the cartoonist, Nisbet has created this cartoon as a form of entertainment, the impacts of it is far more harmful. The cartoon was used to get his opinion out on what he thought would happen with the breakfasts in schools programme, however he has used negative stereotypes in doing so. After publishing, Nisbet later stated that it was “directed at people who complain about poverty and yet blow their money on booze, fags and pokies”. However, his use of Pacific Island people Sefa that what he believes they do. When New Zealanders view this cartoon, though some may think its racist, they are influenced by the use of common stereotypes, even if it is subconsciously.

A poll that was put up onto Stuff.co.nz asked ‘Do these cartoons offend you?’ the results were that 24% of people voted yes, while 76% voted no. This shows that though there are many negative attributes to this cartoon, which could potentially offend people, especially that of the Pacific Island culture, majority of people who voted were not offended.  This could be due to the fact that New Zealanders including those of Pacific Island decent are able to find humour in such cartoons, or it could be because majority of the people who voted agree with the opinion of the cartoonist. Either way, the representation of Pacific Islanders within this cartoon is negative and also highly influential.

Pacific Islanders are also negatively represented in New Zealand films such as ‘Sione’s Wedding’. The film trails the story of ‘four raucous Samoan’ men whom, as a result of their irresponsibility, are banned from attending their best friend’s wedding. The four main characters, Michael, Albert, Stanley and Sefa are a group of Samoan men who call themselves the “Duck Rockers” and are known to their local community as ‘four immature fools’ who are always misbehaving and causing chaos. Throughout the film they are constantly seen getting drunk, chasing and pursuing women and partaking in stupid activities. An example of this would be the character of Stanley. In this particular scene the ‘Duck Rockers’ have gone to an Irish pub and Stanley is seen in the middle of the dance floor after drinking a beer, claiming he is ‘an Irishman trapped in a Samoan body’. When his friend approaches him to ask him where his friends are, he casually tells her they are outside “having a fight” as if this is something that happens often. Subsequently, his friend goes to look for them, leaving him unaccompanied on the dance floor. Stanley continues to dance, getting increasingly wild, causing the other people at the pub to back away as he has clearly made them feel uncomfortable. Eventually, Stanley is escorted out of the bar by two security guards who tell him to “get out of here and go to your own bar” suggesting he should go to a bar where there are more Pacific Island people.

The Pacific Islanders are portrayed in the film as though they are children who need to be looked after, as they seem incapable of making their own responsible decisions. In this particular scene, the Polynesian character is portrayed as wild and immature. It seems as though he has no respect for the people around him and doesn’t understand his boundaries. This scene shows a Pacific Island character who is unable to fit into an event where the majority of people are from another culture. This representation implies that Pacific Islanders are a distinct group, separate from society. It could therefore encourage the disapproval of Pacific Island people, causing New Zealanders to reject or not accept them the same way Stanley was not accepted by the Irishmen at the pub. Negative portrayals of Pacific Islanders in this film are supporting the stereotypes that say people of this culture are substance dependent and unable to make wise decisions, and due to the use of the stereotypes in the film Sione’s Wedding, viewers are influenced to see Polynesian people in that particular way. While Pacific adults are less likely to drink alcohol, those who do are more likely to have hazardous drinking patterns (35%) than adults overall (19%).[2] This statistic done by the Ministry of Health proves that though 35% of adults who drink alcohol are Pacific Islander, it is less likely for a Pacific Island adult to drink alcohol in general. This rejects the common generalisation that all Pacific Island people are reliant on alcohol, however it affirms the stereotype that they have hazardous drinking patterns as they go wild and out of control.  

‘Sione’s Wedding’ is a New Zealand film, however it has been marketed in other countries around the globe with an alternate title: ‘Samoan Wedding’. The film was released in countries such as Australia, 13th July 2006, and countries where there is a minimal Pacific Island population, such as France, 18th May 2006 and Greece, 18th December 2006. [3]When the film is viewed in countries such as these, their opinion on Pacific Island culture is easily influenced as they wont necessarily have much previous knowledge of the culture. The alternate title “Samoans Wedding” causes people to think that all Samoan people act as they do in the film, as immature alcoholics who can't take care of themselves. Because the film is New Zealand made and it is all filmed within New Zealand, not only do international viewers develop a negative opinion o Pacific Islanders, but also on New Zealanders in general.

The three media products, animated television series, cartoon and film, are examples of negative representations of Pacific Islanders seen in the New Zealand media, and these stereotypes are not only affecting how New Zealanders view Pacific Islanders, and the opinion that the world has of New Zealanders, but also how Pacific Islanders view themselves.  The Pacific Islanders in these media products are portrayed as people who are always drunk, rowdy and irresponsible. They are commonly represented as alcoholics who are incapable of looking after themselves or making their own decisions, making the adults of the culture look like children.  According to this bar graph on how Pacific people are commonly represented in media, it is evident that they are being seen as [violent, criminals, illegal immigrants], [lazy, uneducated, overweight/obese], [mentally ill, diseased], [substance dependent], [dependent, drain on tax payers] and a [distinct group, separate from society]. These labels are resulting in a racial divide, and a biased one-sided view of Pacific Islanders in New Zealand. New Zealanders are frequently exposed to media products such as 'Bro Town' and 'Sione's Wedding' and as a result of this they are more likely to believe the stereotypes they see. Also, media products such as these can be distributed globally and therefore negative stereotyping in the media can result in global opinion on not only Pacific Island culture but also New Zealand's culture. 

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[1] One news article: Published: 12:14PM Friday February 02, 2007 http://tvnz.co.nz/content/976246/2856650.xhtml

[2] Findings from the New Zealand Health Survey: Published online: 

16 April 2013 http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/hazardous-drinking-2011-12-findings-new-Zealand-health-survey

[3] https://mahara.org/view/view.php?id=10344