My World, My Choices, and My Identity: Introducing a Descriptive Model of Youth Offending in Aotearoa New Zealand - Te Puna Haumaru Seminar Series

This presentation draws on my PhD research exploring the lived experiences of 20 justice-involved young men in Aotearoa New Zealand. Using Grounded Theory, the research explored the experiences and circumstances that shaped pathways into offending, the factors influencing offending behaviour, and how young people made sense of their actions afterwards. These findings informed the development of three descriptive models that were brought together into an overarching model of youth offending. The research highlights the complex interaction between individual experiences, relationships, and broader social contexts, and demonstrates the value of centring young people's voices in the development of theory. Brief reflections on implications for practice will also be shared.

Speaker: Dr Linda Fatialofa is a Samoan researcher, Intern Psychologist, and incoming Lecturer in Forensic Psychology at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. Raised in Porirua, she maintains strong connections to her villages of Lepā, Gagaīfo Lefaga, Maliē, and Nofoali'i in Samoa and holds the matai title Apiapivao from Lepā. Linda completed her PhD in Forensic Psychology in 2025 and is currently completing her final year of clinical psychology training with Health New Zealand in Whanganui. Her work spans forensic psychology, clinical psychology, and Pacific public health, with a focus on mental wellbeing, youth justice, and developing theory from the perspectives and experiences of communities whose voices have historically been underrepresented in psychological and criminological scholarship.