BA, MA (S Pac) PhD (Qld)
Contact details
Office 2S6, Richardson Building, South Tower
Tel +64 3 479 8955
Email patrick.vakaoti@otago.ac.nz
Research
Patrick is a Fijian sociologist. His initial research interest focused on street-frequenting young people in Fiji. This resulted the in the monograph Street-Frequenting Young People in Fiji: Theory and Practice (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018). He has since expanded his youth related research to the exploration of youth participation and leadership in the Pacific. He is currently working with colleagues from La Trobe University on an Australian Research Council, Discovery Project on The future of the Pacific: youth leadership and civic engagement. Patrick is a leading scholarly voice on youth in the Pacific and is engaged in research and policy initiatives with collaborators, nationally, in the Pacific and internationally.
Patrick actively shapes the Pacific and interdisciplinary research agenda at Otago. He was the inaugural coordinator of the Pacific Thought Network (PacTNet) and is currently Co-Director of the Otago Global Health Institute (OGHI).
Teaching
Patrick has a strong emphasis on research-informed teaching and ensuring that all learners have a sense of belonging to the University. In 2022, he was awarded a University of Otago Teaching Award and a Te Whatu Kairangi – Aotearoa Tertiary Educator Award.
Semester 1, 2023:
- INGS 501 Indigenous Theory and Method
Supervision
Patrick has supervised honours, masters' and doctoral students. He currently supervises doctoral students on topics like youth activism, child protection, governance and boyhood. These topics have a strong indigenous and Pacific focus.
Current
- Priyam Maharaj, PhD, Being Boys in Fiji (with Associate Professor John Shaver and Professor Chris Brickell)
- Regina Maniam, PhD, Engaging Indigenous Worldview in Doctoral Research (with Associate Professor Mele Taumoepeau).
- Avelina Rokoduru, PhD, Masculine ideologies of Gendered Violence in/and Health in Fiji (with Associate Professor Melanie Beres and Associate Professor John Shaver).
- Sandhiya Gounder, PhD, Electoral reforms and its impact on unity in Fiji (with Professor Janine Hayward)
- Adriu Naduva, PhD, Mandatory reporting of Child Sexual Abuse in Fiji – societal barriers and facilitators (with Professor Philip Hill).
- Tahere Siisiialafia, PhD, Pacific youth activism (with Associate Professor Marcelle Dawson)
Recent completions (past 5 years)
- 2023 Supriya Rajappan, PhD, DO YOU SPEAK INDIAN?: The Bullying Experiences of Indian High School Students in Aotearoa New Zealand (with Associate Professor Bryndl Hohmann-Marriot).
- 2022 Iunisi Finau (Hons in Sociology), Pacific underrepresentation at University
- 2021 Milovale Tomasi (Hons in Social Work), Pacific Youth Suicide
- 2019 Anna Hood BA (Hons in Social Work), Transitions between child and youth mental health services in New Zealand
- 2018 Kayla Goodes BA (Hons in Social Work), Foster Care in New Zealand
Publications
Vakaoti, P. (2022). [Review of the book Youth in Fiji and Solomon Islands: Livelihoods, leadership and civic engagement]. Journal of Applied Youth Studies. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s43151-022-00083-7
Ratuva, S., Crichton-Hill, Y., Ross, T., Basu, A., Vakaoti, P., & Martin-Neuninger, R. (2021). Integrated social protection and COVID-19: Rethinking Pacific community responses in Aotearoa. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 51(S1), S37-S54. doi: 10.1080/03036758.2020.1861033
Vakaoti, P. (2019). Young people's constitutional submission in Fiji: opportunities and challenges. In H. Cuervo & A. Miranda (Eds.), Youth, inequality and social change in the global south. (pp. 239-254). Singapore: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-981-13-3750-5_16
Vakaoti, P. (2018). Street-frequenting young people in Fiji: Theory and practice. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, 161p. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-63079-3
Vakaoti, P. (2017). Young political aspirants in the Fiji 2014 elections: Motivations and experiences. Pacific Dynamics, 1(1), 103-118. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10092/13643
Vakaoti, P. (2022). [Review of the book Youth in Fiji and Solomon Islands: Livelihoods, leadership and civic engagement]. Journal of Applied Youth Studies. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s43151-022-00083-7
Journal - Research Other
Ratuva, S., Crichton-Hill, Y., Ross, T., Basu, A., Vakaoti, P., & Martin-Neuninger, R. (2021). Integrated social protection and COVID-19: Rethinking Pacific community responses in Aotearoa. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 51(S1), S37-S54. doi: 10.1080/03036758.2020.1861033
Journal - Research Article
Vakaoti, P. (2019). Young people's constitutional submission in Fiji: opportunities and challenges. In H. Cuervo & A. Miranda (Eds.), Youth, inequality and social change in the global south. (pp. 239-254). Singapore: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-981-13-3750-5_16
Chapter in Book - Research
Vakaoti, P. (2018). Street-frequenting young people in Fiji: Theory and practice. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, 161p. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-63079-3
Authored Book - Research
Vakaoti, P. (2017). Young political aspirants in the Fiji 2014 elections: Motivations and experiences. Pacific Dynamics, 1(1), 103-118. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10092/13643
Journal - Research Article
Vakaoti, P. (2017). Young people’s participation in Fiji: Understanding conceptualizations and experiences. Journal of Youth Studies, 20(6), 697-712. doi: 10.1080/13676261.2016.1260695
Journal - Research Article
Vakaoti, P. (2016). Fiji elections and the youth vote: Token or active citizenship? In S. Ratuva & S. Lawson (Eds.), The people have spoken: The 2014 elections in Fiji. (pp. 157-175). Acton, Australia: Australian National University Press.
Chapter in Book - Research
Vakaoti, P. (2015). Working with groups: Group work with young Pacific Islands people. In K. van Heugten & A. Gibbs (Eds.), Social work for sociologists: Theory and practice. (pp. 85-102). New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
Chapter in Book - Research
Vakaoti, P. (2014). Street-frequenting young men in Suva, Fiji: Beyond the rhetoric – creating partnerships. In P. Fairbairn-Dunlop & E. Coxon (Eds.), Talanoa: Building a Pasifika Research Culture. (pp. 128-141). Wellington, New Zealand: Dunmore.
Chapter in Book - Research
Vakaoti, P. (2013). Young people's participation in Fiji: Merits, challenges and the way forward. Asia Pacific Viewpoint, 54(1), 77-90. doi: 10.1111/apv.12003
Journal - Research Article
Mishra-Vakaoti, V., & Vakaoti, P. (2014). Understanding the 2013 Constitution: A perceptions survey. In S. Fong, R. Tuivaga, B. Dhanasar, B. Tilbury, N. Tillon & S. Smiles (Eds.), Fiji in transition: Towards a sustainable constitutional democracy. (pp. 63-104). Suva, Fiji: Citizens’ Constitutional Forum.
Chapter in Book - Research
Vakaoti, P. (2013). An overview of Pacific community development in New Zealand. In J. Aimers & P. Walker (Eds.), Community development: Insights for practice in Aotearoa New Zealand. (pp. 198-213). Auckland, New Zealand: Dunmore.
Chapter in Book - Research
Vakaoti, P. (2012). Mapping the landscape of young people's participation in Fiji [State, Society & Governance in Melanesia (SSGM) Discussion Paper 2012/6]. Canberra, Australia: Australian National University. 19p.
Working Paper; Discussion Paper; Technical Report
Vakaoti, P. (2010). Church-based service provision for street-frequenting young men in Suva, Fiji. Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work, 22(4), 5-11.
Journal - Research Article
Vakaoti, P. (2009). Researching street-frequenting young people in Suva: Ethical considerations and their impacts. Children's Geographies, 7(4), 435-450. doi: 10.1080/14733280903234493
Journal - Research Article
Vakaoti, P. (2014). Young people & democratic participation in Fiji. Commissioned by Citizen's Constitutional Forum. Suva, Fiji: Citizen's Constitutional Forum. 80p.
Commissioned Report for External Body
Finigan, A., Vakaoti, P., Richards, R., Schaaf, M., Colombo, M., Taumoepeau, M., & Moata'ane, L. (Eds.). (2020). Proceedings of the Pacific Postgraduate Symposium: Pacific Voices XVII. Dunedin, New Zealand: Pacific Islands Centre, University of Otago. 48p. Retrieved from https://www.otago.ac.nz/pacific
Conference Contribution - Edited volume of conference proceedings
Vakaoti, P. (2020, June). How are young tertiary students that work faring in the wake of COVID-19. The Big Q, The University of Auckland, New Zealand. Retrieved from https://www.thebigq.org/2020/06/03/how-are-young-tertiary-students-that-work-faring-in-the-wake-of-covid-19
Other Research Output
Finigan, A., Vakaoti, P., Richards, R., & Schaaf, M. (Eds.). (2019). Proceedings of the Pacific Postgraduate Symposium: Pacific Voices XVI. Dunedin, New Zealand: The Pacific Islands Centre, University of Otago. 48p. Retrieved from https://www.otago.ac.nz/pacific
Conference Contribution - Edited volume of conference proceedings
Dawson, M. C., Procter, L., Stringer, R., & Vakaoti, P. (Eds.). (2019). Proceedings of the Sociology, Gender Studies & Criminology, Social & Community Work Postgraduate Symposium III. Dunedin, New Zealand: Sociology, Gender Studies & Criminology Programme, University of Otago. 57p.
Conference Contribution - Edited volume of conference proceedings
Foliaki, K., Stephenson, J., Anderson, B., & Vakaoti, P. (2019). Understanding the energy cultures of Tongan households: Implications for effective energy efficiency policy. In A. Finigan, P. Vakaoti, R. Richards & M. Schaaf (Eds.), Proceedings of the Pacific Postgraduate Symposium: Pacific Voices XVI. (pp. 11). Dunedin, New Zealand: The Pacific Islands Centre, University of Otago. Retrieved from https://www.otago.ac.nz/pacific
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
