Pacific offenders 'chameleons' - judge

A South Auckland judge has described young Pacific offenders as "chameleons" who commit crime on Saturday nights and attend church on Sundays.

Manukau-based Judge Ida Malosi, the country's first female Pacific judge, was commenting on a Families Commission study which found most young Pacific gang members in Mangere and Otara were closely connected to their families, The New Zealand Herald reported.

"Young people who offend are chameleons. They change," she said.

"Young people, by definition, make mistakes. Adults, by definition, need to mentor and support them through those mistakes."

The study, conducted by Auckland University of Technology, interviewed 26 youths in three mainly male gangs and one female gang, 21 youths who were not in gangs, and five former gang members.

AUT social scientist Camille Nakhid, who led the study, said many of the youths' parents had multiple jobs and worked long hours, and were not at home for their children.

The researchers found family was important for nearly all the young "gangstas".

Most Pasifika youth did not want to replace their family with their gang, and many were worried about their parents' poverty.