Relational Aggression and Physical Aggression among Adolescent Cook Islands Students

"Te manako ra tona au taeake e koia tikai aia, ia matou ra, e kite kore aia. Kare paa tona au taeke e kite ana e, te tamaemae ra aia i te tangata. Ka akaranga au e, e tangata viivii e te kino tikai aia. His friends think he is awesome but we think he is dumb. I don't think his friends realise he is hurting people. I am going to describe him as cruel." The impression of the South Pacific conjures up images of a picture-perfect paradise, complete with swaying palm trees and friendly, smiling people. The popular image of people living in a utopia is removed from the challenges faced by those living in an individualistic and competitive world. The quote above by a 14-year-old Cook Island's boy, struggling to navigate his way through the relationships of his adolescence, illustrates this point. The educational system in the Cook Islands delivers a Cook Islands' curriculum but utilises the New Zealand Qualifications' Framework for senior school qualifications. The largest island, Rarotonga, has three secondary schools, including the national college that offers the widest opportunity for education through to Year 13 level. Most students wanting to complete their secondary school education to this level travel to Rarotonga. In 2014, forty-six students from the Pa Enua (the Outer Islands) attended the national college. The Pa Enua are divided into the Southern group (Aitutaki, Mitiaro, Atiu, Mauke, Mangaia) and the Northern group (Manahiki, Penrhyn, Rakahanga, Pukapuka, Nassau, Palmerston). The official languages are English and Cook Islands Maori, with different dialects in the Pa Enua apart from Pukapuka, which has its own language.