Abstract:
Our study with 71 children aged 6-14 living in New Zealand and Samoa, provides a new
child-centred perspective on transnational diasporic families. We use the Pacific concept
va to frame the study, in which children’s transnational-kinship connections reflect
relational rather than physical approaches to space. Familial habitus surpasses spatial
habitus as children’s primary reference point. For diasporic children, family keeps alive
their sense of Pacific Island belonging. Transnational kinship ties give Pacific children
additional resilience in adapting to unknown futures.
