Publicity first

Through all the resulting chaos in Fiji, Alister Taylor's main concern was with the reporters and the publicity potential, rather than with the students or the locals. But to see this yearning for publicity as the only, or even the main, motive is possibly being unreasonably cynical and maybe more reputable intentions are being frustrated in the machinery of the NZUSA bureaucracy.

Even if the aim is purely to benefit the people of the Pacific with no desire for public recognition—imagine NZUSA doing that —such schemes can only be offered to people lacking any vestige of pride or ability if they think that students of New Zealand universities can do something concrete and economically significant during their vacation, that they (the locals) could not do for themselves.