The Volunteer Service Abroad scheme, which was originally designed to assist under-developed countries in the Pacific and South East-Asia, may have outlived its usefulness. The concept of Volunteer Service Abroad is becoming more a publicity stunt for some, while for others it is a cheap way of getting a trip overseas and a good holiday somewhere in the Pacific or South-East-Asia. It is similar to the Army where the prospect of a trip to Malayia and South-East Asia caused so many young people in the past to volunteer for service without first asking themselves whether the presence of New Zealand forces in Asia and Indo-China is or was justified.

In the Pacific, particularly in Western Samoa the V.S.A.'s, like their American counter parts are not welcomed with open arms anymore. After talking to numerous volunteers and locals in Samoa, one can only conclude that too many swollen headed volunteers are included in the quota N.Z. exports to these islands every year. With great ideals and full of enthusiasm with the concept of "us helping them; teaching them; freeing them from the bonds of their primitive cultures," many have little appreciation for the great part the culture plays in the Samoan's everyday life. And it is not unusual to find that many criticisms of the Samoan culture by volunteers stem mainly from the fact that the local culture does not conform to their New Zealand oriented way of thinking.

But of course members of the Volunteer Service Abroad Organisation will argue that the volunteers who go to Western Samoa do so as a result of requests by the Western Samoan Government. But there is a vast difference in being requested by the Government and being wanted by the people whom the volunteers will have to work with. Volunteers are not automatically accepted by the people simply because they are accepted by the Government.

No longer do the Samoans and many other Pacific Islanders view the scheme as a way of helping them. In the last few years, it has become quite apparent to the Samoans that the attitude prevailing amongst many volunteers is typical of that common to some of the early missionaries and other Europeans. Their mission was that of "Peace and assistance". The missionaries in their attempt to christianise the Samoans have left revealing scars in the culture and customs of the people. Similarly the forceful tactics employed by the European policy makers to have their policies — their so-called assistance — acceptable to the Samoans resulted in some unnecessary butchering. The prime example of this was the shooting of a greatly respected Samoan Leader and several other Samoan dignatories by the N.Z. navy on the 28th December, 1929 at Apia, while the former were staging a peaceful, unarmed demonstration, which has left an unhealed wound in many Samoan hearts.

Now the continual arrival of VSA's (and American Peace Corps, who have an even worse missionary attitude) and the lack of cultural consideration shown by many is slowly causing these wounds to bleed again.