Paperback
Pacific scholars dissect racism in Aotearoa, demanding justice and equity.
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Oceans Between Us

Pacific Peoples and Racism in Aotearoa

RRP$39.95

$33.93

  • Paperback

    272 pages

  • Release Date

    10 July 2025

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Summary

Racism. There, we said it. You can let your shoulders drop now that you know we will say the word and not sidestep it to protect people’s comfort. Or, you can raise your shoulders in preparation for tension as you realise that this book will not talk about unconscious bias or other terms that enable us to excuse ourselves from our own complicity in, inaction on, or upholding of racist structures. - Sereana Naepi

Salt water carries the weight of powerful stories - of migration, struggl…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9781776711253
ISBN-10:1776711254
Author:Sereana Naepi
Publisher:Auckland University Press
Imprint:Auckland University Press
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:272
Release Date:10 July 2025
Weight:350g
Dimensions:22mm x 140mm x 210mm
A-Format
B-Format
Oceans Between Us by Sereana Naepi - ISBN: 9781776711253
140 × 210 mm
C-Format
A4
mm / in
What They're Saying

Critics Review

This book promises to be a timely and much-needed intervention into discussions of race in Aotearoa.

– Simon Barber, senior lecturer of sociology, gender studies and criminology, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka – University of Otago

Oceans Between Us is a paradigm-defining work – filling a crucial gap in scholarship on racism against Pacific communities in New Zealand. Bringing together critical academic analysis and lived experience, this book is both intellectually enriching and a call for social transformation.

– Steven Ratuva, Pro-Vice Chancellor Pacific, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha – University of Canterbury

Oceans Between Us is a groundbreaking collection that fuses critical scholarship with Pacific cultural wisdom. Connecting past, present and future, it confronts the deep-seated racism in New Zealand’s systems and offers bold pathways for change. A must-read for scholars, policymakers and anyone committed to justice and equity.

– Patrick Vakaoti, professor and dean of Te Tumu School of Māori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka – University of Otago

‘In a political moment when ‘equal treatment’ rhetoric attempts to erase the reality of inequity, this book matters.’

– Tracey Sharp

About The Author

Sereana Naepi

Sereana Naepi (Fijian, Pākehā) is an associate professor in sociology at Waipapa Taumata Rau, the University of Auckland. Her research focuses on equity in higher education, Indigenous research methodologies, and the experiences of Pacific peoples, Māori, and early career researchers in academia. She is committed to addressing systemic barriers to success in universities and advocating for institutional change.

Her work explores the impact of neoliberalism on education and the need for Indigenous knowledge systems to be recognized within academic spaces. Sereana has co-authored research on decolonizing universities and improving pathways for underrepresented scholars. She is a recipient of the Rutherford Discovery Fellowship and Spencer Education grants.

Through her scholarship and advocacy, she contributes to rethinking how education serves diverse communities, challenging traditional structures to create more just and inclusive learning environments for future generations.

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