‘Oceanic Criminology’ and Rural Access to Justice Across the Pacific

Rural criminology scholarship as an area of concentrated study across Oceania is scattered. For work theorising and with an empirical research focus, literature from Australia dominates, although has been somewhat ad hoc with an emphasis on localised case studies as opposed to broader bodies of research. Scholarship pertaining to rurality and crime in New Zealand is yet to emerge, although there has been some work on rural policing specifically. Focused research aimed at developing understandings about rurality and crime in the South Pacific context are not yet visible in existing literature. Adopting a hybridised theoretical approach, this chapter charts the notion of ‘access to justice’ and addresses seven specific access issues throughout Oceania, assessing how access can be conceived, measured and responded to in regional, rural and remote areas. Whilst reflecting on the existing canon of relevant works, the chapter will also look to the future ‘state of the art’, nominating areas for new scholarship pertaining to access to justice across the region.