Culture Crossroads - Print.

Culture Crossroads
Dealing with the Pressures and Demands on Pacific Islanders Living in Aotearoa

By Rubinstine Manukia

A practical, faith‑rooted guide that helps Pasifika families in Aotearoa balance culture, church, law, and modern life – so they can say yes to what matters and no when they must.

This book will help you:

• Navigate expectations around giving (Misinale, fa’alavelave) without guilt or debt.
• Put your immediate family’s wellbeing first while honouring culture and faith.
• Build healthy communication between parents, youth, and elders.
• Integrate Christian faith confidently in study, sport, and the workplace.
• Understand how church, state, and New Zealand law intersect on social issues.
• Develop cultural competence and thrive between Pasifika and Kiwi worlds.
• Use community‑led approaches to strengthen churches and neighbourhoods. 

Features

• Clear explanations of Pasifika giving traditions and financial pressure points.
• Voices of youth, professionals, and clergy on real‑world dilemmas and solutions.
• Guidance on church–state crossroads (marriage, abortion, euthanasia, Sunday trading).
• Tools for acculturation, bicultural practice, and diversity at work.
• Appendix with a bilingual (Tongan/English) sermon, plus endnotes and index.

Published:  30 June 2021
Language: English
Words: 20,310
B/W text, 64 pp, 6″ x 9″ 
Soft cover
ISBN: 9781988572710

[9 in stock 9 August 2025]

Click for eBooks

Description

What happens when island culture meets Kiwi life, church traditions collide with modern laws, and expectations on young Pasifika soar?

Written from lived experience and four decades in Methodism, this accessible handbook names the pressures Pacific Islanders face in Aotearoa – then offers practical, culturally grounded ways through.

Beginning with the Pasifika concept of giving, the author explores Misinale, fa’alavelave, and the very real financial and social pressures placed on families, professionals, and athletes.

She shows how generosity can remain an act of love – not obligation – by budgeting wisely, setting limits, and learning the courage to say “no” when necessary. Change, she argues, starts in the home: with everyday habits, open conversations between parents and children, and realistic expectations in a tech‑saturated world.

Chapters on faith in the workplace and the art of communication equip readers to live out Christian convictions with clarity and compassion.

 A substantial middle section unpacks the crossroads of church and state in New Zealand – how legal frameworks interact with theology and culture – so readers can understand the implications of recent legislation on Pasifika communities.

Further sections map life beyond the family (church as village), compare other church systems (including Tikanga Māori), and outline pathways toward cultural competence, diversity at work, and community‑led development.

Throughout, the tone is balanced and empowering: give generously, but give judiciously; honour elders and culture, but protect your family’s health and future.

The book closes with reflections, practical lessons learned, and a bilingual sermon – resources designed for families, church leaders, youth workers, and anyone serving Pasifika communities.

About the author

Rubinstine Manukia is a Tongan author, who has English and Chinese descent.

Ruby has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Auckland, a Bachelor of Law from Victoria University of Wellington, Legal Professionals from Canterbury University of Christchurch and a Masters of Law (Honors) from the USA. Ruby is completing her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree specialising in Health Law.

She ran a restaurant, the Foghorn Bar & Grill, in San Francisco and also worked in Washington DC.

She is a community enabler and is the President’s Legal Advisor for the Methodist Church of New Zealand Te Haahi Weteriana O Aotearoa.

Ruby enjoys sports, spending time with her family and enabling communities to thrive.

  
Contents

Introduction

Preface

1– The Pasifika Concept of Giving

• Challenging the Concept of Giving – A New Generation
• Balancing the Concept of Giving – Old vs New Generations
• The View of Polynesian Professionals
• The View of Clergy and Pacific Presbyters
• Misinale – Celebrates Tongan Financial Giving
• Public Perception of Giving

2 – Change Starts in the Home

• The Neuroscience of Learning Starts at Home
• Youth Today

3 – Christian Faith in the Workplace

• Christian Faith at Work
• The Art of Communication

4 – The intersection of Church and State

• United States Constitution vs New Zealand Law
• Pasifika Concerns About Recent Social Legislation
• Further Pasifika Concerns About the End Of Life Choice Act 2019

5 – Life beyond the Family

• Church as a village
• New Structures
• A legal framework in New Zealand

6 – Can we learn from a comparison with other systems of Church?

• Tikanga Māori

7 – The direction of the Church for Pasifika peoples

• Pasifika faith lore
• Acculturation
• Further understanding
• Cultural Competence
• Diversity at Work
• Enablement through Community Led Development Principles (CLDP)
• Māori community development

8 – The current context

• Community development practice in Aotearoa today

• Social Justice
• Individual and collective human rights
• Equity
• Self-determination and empowerment
• Participation and democracy
• Cooperation/collective action
• Sustainability (including, but not exclusively, environmental sustainability)
• Bi-cultural community development practice in Aotearoa
• Enabling and Building Capacity

9 – Reflection – Lessons learned

• Learning from our situations
• Finding your own voice and pathway in life
• Epistemology of Pasifika People – Native Common Sense
• Hidden Meaning and Interpretation – Pasifika use of Sarcasm
• Unbroken – To know we belong
• Placemaking For Redemption – Making something better and more acceptable
• Learning by Doing and Empowerment

Conclusion

Appendix

• Sermon delivered by Rubinstine Manukia  on Sunday 20 January 2019 at Pulela’a New Lynn Tongan Methodist Church