What happened when Parliament traveled to Samoa, and why it matters?

During a fleeting visit of just 24 hours, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, three of her MPs and seven opposition MPs enjoyed the best hospitality Samoa has to offer. While there was a lot of pomp and circumstance, the short trip also included serious issues facing Samoa, New Zealand and the wider Pacific Ocean.

The short visit began with an ‘ava ceremony, similar to a pōhiri in Aotearoa, followed by a sumptuous dinner in author Robert Louis Stevenson’s old homestead. The streets of Apia were littered with New Zealand flags when the police marching band gathered for a guard of honor on Tuesday morning.

There is no doubt that MPs left Samoa early Tuesday afternoon, well fed and entertained. The word “humiliated” also cropped up frequently in discussions with ACT, Labour, National and Māori Party leaders.

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This region faces a mountain of challenges, including a climate crisis, recessions, geopolitical turmoil and a pandemic. Face-to-face meetings provided a moment to come together and assess the situation.

Ardern made an announcement of funding for projects to tackle climate change and the economic downturn caused by Covid-19. But the relationships built between the Samoan and New Zealand governments could prove far more influential than a one-off funding announcement.

What actually happened in Samoa?

• On Monday, a New Zealand Air Force plane was the first flight to arrive in Samoa since it opened the border that morning.
• Ardern noted that this delegation was somewhat “unusual”. That’s because the government has invited representatives from all political parties, including national leader Christopher Luxon, ACT’s David Seymour, and Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngawera-Packer.

• At the request of Samoa’s Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, Ardern secured $12 million to rebuild the iconic Savalalo Market on Apia’s waterfront. It burned down in 2016 but was once a “lifeline” for local entrepreneurs. It was especially important to women and small businesses in Samoa, Ardern said, because it gave them the opportunity to earn a living selling products and homemade crafts to tourists and locals.
• Ardern also confirmed $15 million for climate change projects in Samoa. She expected it to fund the relocation of coastal villages and protections such as sea walls.
• All New Zealand politicians met with the cabinet of Samoa to discuss a range of issues from climate change to the Pacific Islands Forum and also New Zealand’s RSE programme. The bipartisan meeting with the government of Samoa gave all politicians the opportunity to listen directly to Samoa’s concerns.

• A clear problem with New Zealand’s RSE workers’ scheme emerged from the cabinet meeting. The scheme was set up to provide seasonal work to people unemployed in the Pacific islands, but Mata’afa said it was taking skilled workers out of Samoa. Seymour also criticized the scheme, saying it put workers in a situation akin to “contractual servitude” because they couldn’t change employers. Shortly before leaving Samoa, Ardern said she had addressed Samoa’s concerns and that changes to the RSE scheme were possible, although the program would continue.

Why this is important?

• New Zealand and Samoa share deep ties. More Samoans live in New Zealand than in Samoa, and Samoan is New Zealand’s third most widely spoken language.
• For 48 years, ending in 1961, New Zealand ruled Samoa as a colony. That era was marked by negligent governance, resulting in the Spanish flu epidemic and the horrific Black Saturday attack on Mau Movement protesters.
• But August 1 marked a more merry occasion. This year marked the 60th anniversary of the signing of the “Friendship Treaty” after Samoa gained independence.
• The pomp, the meals and speeches are all part of something very important, talanoa. Building mutual understanding and relations between New Zealand and Samoa, two culturally and geographically close island states, was considered important by MPs from both countries.

• Luxon and Seymour both left the country, saying they learned a lot about the nuance of politics in Samoa.
• Samoa, like many other Pacific countries, is preparing its recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic – which has turned its economy and social life upside down. Pre-pandemic, tourism accounted for 25% of the country’s GDP. As Samoa adjusts to living with Covid-19, it must also find a way to reorganize its economy.
• In Apia, business adviser Fonoti Samagapei Namulau’ulu arrived at government offices to see the New Zealand delegation’s guard of honor. He said the two countries would always be partners, but he felt that Samoa should also stand on its own. He said it ran the risk of becoming dependent on New Zealand, but that – given technological progress – it could offer much more than migrant workers.
• A reconsideration of the RSE scheme could be a step to focus more on increasing Samoa’s productivity.

How this trip will be remembered

• For a mission aimed at ‘friendship’, the group of opponents of politicians understood the assignment.
• Samoa spared no expense in hosting the delegation, demonstrating the exceptional value they place on their relationship with New Zealand. Prime Minister Mata’afa was in New Zealand just over a month ago when she invited parliamentarians to Apia.
• Locals from all over the island committed themselves to working 24 hours, from the long hours put in by the police, to the crew of waiters, cooks and entertainers traveling to the reception dinner on Monday evenings. Many of them were back at work on Tuesday, talking about the excitement of finally having visitors in Samoa again.
• It’s been a rough few years for island nations like Samoa, but after two and a half years of facing – as Mata’afa put it – the tyranny of isolation, face-to-face meeting could bring real benefits.