Moses Faleolo

Dr Faleolo received his PhD in Social Work in 2015 from Massey University. He is a registered Social Worker with over 10 years of experience helping young people involved in crime or experiencing social-related health issues. Through his research, including a Marsden Fund grant awarded in 2019, he has rapidly become a key leader in advancing criminological theory through the inclusion of Pacific and Indigenous knowledge. He is a regular adviser to the New Zealand government and international bodies, like the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime. In 2023 he was awarded the Indigenous Justice Award by the Australia and New Zealand Society of Criminology.

Effective prevention and response to crime must account for the social, economic, and cultural context of offenders and their communities. Indigenous criminology provides crucial knowledge to achieve this by exploring Indigenous peoples’ historical and contemporary experiences of crime, including its causes, correction, and prevention. Dr Faleolo's research is constructing a distinctive “Pacific Criminology”. He will combine knowledge from the Sāmoan worldview (fa'a Sāmoa) with analysis techniques from the social sciences to examine growing Pacific gangs within Aotearoa and Sāmoa. The methodologies will include consultations, a synthesis of the scientific literature and interviews. Dr Faleolo will collect evidence from people involved in the criminal justice system including gang members, legal practitioners, justice service sector managers, and policymakers. He will study local traditions, cultural identity, and impacts of social and historical processes as crucial factors in people’s involvement in the criminal justice system. The project will provide the groundwork for culturally responsive, and effective, approaches to mitigate gang membership and crime in Aotearoa New Zealand and across the South Pacific.

O Dr Moses Faleolo o Te Herenga Waka o le Iunivesete o Vitoria i Ueligitone ua fa‘amanuiaina lea i se New Zealand Mana Tūānuku Research Leader Fellowship e suesue ai pe fa‘apefea finagalo ma tu ma aga Fa‘a-Pasefika mai tagata lautele o le komuniti, e fa‘apea foi aufaigaluega a le tulafono, pule, ma ē e faia tonu ma fa‘aiuga i le vaega o fa‘amasinoga ma le tulafono, e mafai ona fa‘aaogā e atinae ai se malamalamaga sili atu, ma auala fou e puipuia ai, sauaga tau kegi.

Na maua e Dr Faleolo lona fa‘ailoga o le PhD i le Social Work i le 2015 mai le Iunivesete o Massey. O ia o se tagata faigaluega tau agafeso‘ota‘i (social work) ua lesitalaina ma ua sili atu ma le 10 tausaga lana galuega o le fesoasoani i tupulaga talavou laiti o loo aafia i le solitulafono poo feagai foi ma fa‘afitauli tau i le soifua mālōlō ma tulaga tau i le soifuaga. O ana suesuega, e aofia ai se seleni foa‘i o le Marsden Fund e fa‘atupe ai suesuega na tau ‘aaoina i le 2019, ma ua vave ai ona avea o ia ma se tasi o ta‘ita‘i tāua i le fa‘alauteleina o le a‘oa‘oga ma le malamalaaga tau solitulafono e ala lea i le fa‘asoa ma le fa‘aofiina mai o le malamalama tau Pasefika ma Tagata patino o Atunuu. O ia o se faufautua masani i le mālō o Niu Sila ma fa‘alapotopotoga fa‘avaomālō e pei o le Faiga ma Auala e fa‘asagatau ai i Soligatulafono Fuafuaina i Atunuu o le Lalolagi (Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime). I le 2023 na fa‘amanuiaina ai o ia e le Sosaiete a Ausetalia ma Niu Sila Tau i le Tulafono (Australia New Zealand Society of Criminology) i le fa ‘ailoga tauoloa o le Indigenous Justice Award.

O le puipuiga lelei ma auala e tali atu ai i soligatulafono e tatau ona tala fa‘atatau i le va fealoa‘i, tamaoaiga, tu ma aga tau aganuu a tagata solitulafono ma o latou komiuniti. O suesuega i solitulafono a tagata muai o le atunuu  e maua ai le malamalama tāua e ausia ai lea tulaga e ala i le suesueina o tala fa‘asolopito o tagata muai o le atunuu ma tulaga o loo iai i nei onapo o soligatulafono, e aofia ai ona mafuaaga, fa‘asa‘oga ma toe fuata‘ina ma le puipuiga. O suesuega a Dr Faleolo o loo fausiaina se tulaga fa‘aalia o “Suesuega Tau Solitulafono a le Pasefika” (Pacific Criminology). O le ‘a ia tu‘ufa‘atasia ni malamalamaaga mai le Taula‘iga o le Lalolagi Fa‘asamoa (Samoan worldview/ Fa‘asamoa) e fa‘atasi ai ma metotia e iloiloina suesuega i tulaga tau va feiloa‘i o tagata (social science analysis techniques) e suesueina ai le fa‘atupula‘ia o kegi o tagata Pasefika i totonu o Aotearoa ma Samoa. O metotia  o le ‘a aofia ai talanoaga ma soalaupule, o se tu‘ufa‘atasiga o iloiloga o tusitusiga o suesuega na faia muamua ma fa‘atalanoaga. O le ‘a aoina e Dr Faleolo ni fa‘amatalaga molimau mai tagata o loo aafia i faiga ma tulaga tau le tulafono e aofia ai sui o kegi, aufaigaluega ole tulafono, pule o vaega o auaunaga i le tulafono (justice service sector managers) ma ē e faia fuafuaga ma faiga fa‘avae o le tulafono. O le ‘a ia suesueina tu ma aga fa‘alotoifale, fa‘asinomaga fa‘aleaganuu, ma aafiaga o faiga fa‘aagafeso‘ota‘i ma tala‘aga fa‘asolopito ma tulaga tāua i le aofia ai o tagata i faiga fa‘amasinoga ma tau soligatulafono. O le poloketi o le ‘a maua atu ai se faiga fa‘avae mo le tali fa‘aleaganuu, ma e lelei ma aogā, o auala e fa‘aitiitia ai le auai pe avea foi ma sui o kegi ma soligatulafono i Aotearoa Niu Sila ma le Atu Pasefika i Saute”.

Dr Faleolo with Dennis Makalio, MMM Porirua (Supplied)