HUMANS OF ŌTAUTAHI: RATU
“I came over when I was about three and a half years old, so Christchurch is home to me.
“Being born in Fiji, immigration status was a challenge. For whatever reason, Dad hadn’t sorted out our visas through my primary years. In 2013, we got to the airport heading over to Fiji; he told us we’re going for a holiday. The customs officer told us that we’d overstayed. I was 16, so it was heavy news. I was into my second last year of high school, best friends around me, we were talking about tertiary.
“Once we got that news, I fell into a period of depression. I’d spent so much time in Western societies; it was so hard to fit in. My father left to continue working, leaving me and my brother in Fiji. I became familiar with the forests in the village. I was working hard one day, still young, and I thought, ‘what am I going to do with myself in the future?’
“Fiji was the birthplace of my interest in barbering. Long story short, it was my cousin who introduced me to the barbering artform. We started with these circular combs you can fit blades on. That’s how we used to do fades; we tried everything. When I finally got my first clippers, it was practice on family members, friends brave enough to step into the chair.
“I guess you could say barbering was one of the things that gave me some direction, gave me some peace of mind.
“Barbering was my hobby, but I said, ‘I’ll just give it a go’. That’s really where my apprenticeship started, but the past caught up with me. One year into being married, it was stressful; I was paying for my father’s mismanagement. We had an immigration advisor help us, and I thank God because if it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t have been able to go over that threshold.
“I’m a resident now, but it took a lot of time.
“I’m a big believer that a barbershop is more than just a place to get your haircut. You sit in the chair, and that’s a therapy session straight off the bat, especially for us males. And that’s a special thing for me; a simple conversation can make a whole lot of difference. Through that tough time, I received support and provided it to others from behind the chair. It got me through. That’s why I’m a barber.”