Tena koe, no ngati skateboarder ahau – understanding this unique urban culture in any CBD

Abstract

Skateboarding is the sixth most popular sport amongst adolescent boys aged 12-17, with about 20% participating in it (based on a study of 1704 participants by Richards, Reeder and Darling (2004)). From personal experience, the author knows that the act of skateboarding gives meaning and three dimensional membership of a city to the skateboarder. It creates a sense of being here and a sense of being part of the environment the person finds themselves in. Skateboarders, however, have gradually been excluded from the city and relegated to suburban parks. As a consequence, the urban skateboarder is feeling excluded from their city. For Maori skateboarders this is a double dose of exclusion, as many Maori feel they have largely lost their membership of place through the process of colonisation. Planners and urban designers would benefit from a better understanding of this unique urban cultural grouping to facilitate the reconnection of youth with the city.