The New Zealand Government is planning to establish youth justice military-style academies through legislation. Public critique argues they are essentially boot camps, and research shows that these approaches can negatively impact young people who have experienced trauma. This article shares insights from a project funded by Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga investigating trauma in rangatahi Māori engaged in serious youth offending. This study explored the perspectives of Kaupapa Māori community-based social workers, youth workers and organisational leaders (n = 11) working with rangatahi Māori who appeared in the youth court for offending.

Amid Aotearoa New Zealand’s housing crisis, rangatahi Māori face unique challenges in accessing not just houses but kāinga—places that nurture whānau and cultural identity. Using Kaupapa Māori research, He Tātai Whetu ki te Rangi, he Rangatahi ki te Kāinga (2020–2024) explored rangatahi realities and aspirations for kāinga in Tāmaki Mākaurau. Findings reveal that rangatahi struggle to secure appropriate housing, while navigating discrimination, intergenerational impacts of land alienation and invisibility in housing policy. These systemic barriers cascade into effects on mental health, cultural identity and whānau formation.

This article discusses original research conducted with Māori high school students in order to explore factors that motivate migration between particular identity positions. It presents the Māori identity migration model as a way of conceptualising the dynamic and diverse nature of urban Māori youth identities, and to allow for an analysis of the resources and threats available to urban Māori youth who occupy different identity spaces.

This paper investigates how Māori secondary school students aged 16–18 years engage with information to assist them in making decisions about their future career options. Little has been written about how Māori access information and this article fi lls a gap in the literature. Research was undertaken in four secondary schools, using a questionnaire and focus group sessions. Of the 139 participants, approximately two thirds (94) had made a decision about their future career. The results of the questionnaire demonstrate a heavy reliance on interpersonal sources rather than electronic and printed resources.