Bouncers of Auckland

Bouncing – One of the only occupations where people feel entitled to get in your face, bold and intoxicated, and tell you how to do your job.

The Auckland nightlife has been growing and evolving rapidly over the past ten years, and through new bars, clubs, crowds and music, one aspect remains fairly constant…Pacific Island bouncers.

“Nightclubs like islanders because we’re naturally big and it’s easier to have someone big and intimidating to say “no”. When I was working, we were all mostly Islanders…Samoans and Tongans.” – Eti Naseri.

Eti, who now works as a club promoter and operator of two Auckland nightclubs, has around 7 years experience as a bouncer. Entering the scene while he was still in high school, Eti quickly learned that the job was less about the ladies and status, and more about brotherhood. There is an obvious and necessary camaraderie between the handful of men who watch over up to 200 people at a time.

 Addressing the stereotypes that bouncers are “dumb angry coconuts”, Eti says that they’re usually always untrue. “You see a lot of people who don’t get their way with the doormen and assume they’re dumb. But a lot of these guys are very intelligent. This is a second income for them. I’ve worked with guys, at uni doing their masters, so there’s a perception that all doormen are dumb and make no money, but that’s far from the truth.”

Why is there a perception that Pacific Island bouncers are dumb? Just because a doorman’s role appears to be mostly physical, it doesn’t mean their abilities are limited to strength alone. A lot of doormen work multiple jobs, or are studying at the same time. No person has the grounds to assume the backstory or character of a person, simply based on their vocation.

Another ex-bouncer Taulaga Momoisea, said the job taught him a lot about himself and the kind of person he was, as well as the patrons he interacted with. “It put me off alcohol dealing with all the drunk people, and gave me an appreciation for other guys doing my job.  It was like a brotherhood - brothers who have got each others back all night long.  It shows you what type of person you are in terms of if you walk the walk & talk the talk.”

Harry Tualaulelei-Crichton, who has around 8 years of international experience as a bouncer concurred that the job teaches you important life lessons. “You quickly learn you need patience and understanding, how to deal with different personalities and backgrounds so you have to adapt sometimes”

As well as learning about yourself, the job opens your eyes to society, and the true nature and character of people who you encounter. Both Taulaga and Eti experienced constant racism while working as bouncers, and found that intoxicated people often revealed their true colours.

“Bouncing made me look at society differently, seeing how people behaved at nighttime. During the day people are very different to how they are at night when drinking. When you’re intoxicated a bit of your true self starts to come out because you don’t have that barrier that tells you not to say certain things.“ – Eti.

Taulaga said he had been called every racial slur and foul name under the sun, mostly by intoxicated patrons who blame their rejected entry into a club, on the colour of a bouncers skin.

Unsurprisingly the racism isn’t a one-way street. Before hip-hop became a mainstream genre, nightclub owners would allegedly instruct their bouncers to “Not let too many pacific islanders into the club” and “don’t play hip hop because it brings the thugs in”. But now that hip-hop is thriving in Auckland city, the same clubs that were once racist and anti hip-hop, have adapted to cater to popular demand.

“Its hard…for the bouncers it’s just a job. Bouncers are the ones that catch the brunt of it all. Abuse in person, abuse online, but most doormen are just simply following orders.” – Eti.

Now though, Eti says the role of a bouncer has evolved into a “doorman host role”, where the men are expected to behave and present themselves in a more welcoming and professional manner, as apposed to just being an obstacle at the door, checking ID’s.

 According to those with years of experience, the job is 80% boring. Despite this, no two nights are the same, and their work stories are always going to be worth listening to. From samurai swords, a mother and son duo on ice, and patrons using beer cups instead of the toilet, doormen really have seen it all.

Ultimately it is their job to protect you and keep you safe in an enviroment that has the potentional to get out of control. Doormen have a heavy duty to look out for eachother as well as the hundreds of people in their clubs. Abuse they face by the drunk and disorderly is unwarranted but invenitable, and we shouldn’t ever forget that these doormen are still at work, our hours are just different.