Download vsa assignment management - Volunteer Service Abroad

Assignment Title
Food and Beverage Adviser
Country
Samoa
Location
Apia
Partner Organisation
Samoa Tourism Authority
Accountable to
Chief Executive
Reporting to
Various Conference and Festival Managers
3450
1.
ASSIGNMENT PURPOSE
Samoa Tourism Authority (STA) and VSA would like Food and Beverage Events Manager to
help ensure that Samoa hosts a successful Teuila Festival and United Nations Conference on
Small Island Developing States (SIDS Conference), increasing the positive profile of Samoa as
a tourism and conference destination.
2.
ASSIGNMENT OBJECTIVES, ACTIVITIES AND INDICATORS
Objective
Quality food and beverages are available at all times during the Teuila Festival.
Activities



Staff and food vendors receive training in food preparation, safe food handling and food
and beverage service
Monitor the food court area of the Festival regularly and provide on the spot advice as
required
Clients are surveyed on their food and beverage experience
Indicators


Training record shows people trained
Feedback from surveys is positive
Personal specifications
Essential






Significant relevant experience in food and beverage provision, supervision and training
Ability to work under tight schedules
Effective verbal and written communication skills
Strong leadership skills
Strong organisational and coordination skills
Computer literate including Microsoft Office
As needs on the ground may change over time, the volunteer on arrival is encouraged to
review and update the assignment in consultation with the partner organisation and the VSA
Programme Manager.
3. REPORTING AND WORKING RELATIONSHIPS
The volunteer will report to the CEO, STA but will report directly to managers within STA and
other organisers. They will work alongside local staff, food and beverage providers, volunteers,
contractors, visitors and conference participants.
4. SKILLS EXCHANGE/TRANSFER
Skills exchange will occur as formal training or on-the-job teaching.
5. TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Residency status
VSA volunteers must be New Zealand citizens or have New Zealand permanent residency
status, and preferably have lived in New Zealand for at least two years.
Partner Organisation
The volunteer's partner organisation will be the Samoa Tourism Authority.
Length of Assignment
These assignments are for a period of 5 months. There is some flexibility in timing given the
short lead-in time to recruitment and deployment.
Pre-departure briefing
As part of our contract, the volunteer will be required to take part in a pre-departure course run
by VSA in Wellington from July 16-19. Special arrangements may also be considered in certain
circumstances.
Final Appointment
Final appointment will be subject to satisfactory medical and immigration clearances, partner
organisation acceptance, and successful completion of the VSA Briefing Course.
Family Status
Single status.
Vaccination Requirements
Potential volunteers are advised that VSA’s insurers require volunteers to be inoculated, prior
to departure, in accordance with the instructions of VSA’s medical adviser.
Volunteer Package
The volunteer’s package includes the following:

Living Allowance
The volunteer will receive a living allowance of NZD 37 per day.

Accommodation
2
Basic, furnished accommodation will be provided. Volunteers may need to share with
another volunteer due to limited availability during the SIDS Conference and Teuila
Festival.

Airfares and baggage allowance
The volunteer will be provided with economy airfares at the beginning and end of the
assignment.

Insurance
VSA will provide insurance to cover baggage and personal property, and medical and
additional expenses.
Attachments
Appendix 1. BACKGROUND TO THE ASSIGNMENT
Appendix 2. LIVING AND WORKING SITUATION
3
Appendix 1. BACKGROUND TO THE ASSIGNMENT
The Third United Nations Conference on Small Island Developing States
The Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States will be held from 1 to 4
September 2014 in Apia, Samoa. The SIDS Conference will focus the world's attention on a
group of countries that remain a special case for sustainable development in view of their
unique and particular vulnerabilities. The overarching theme of the Third International
Conference on Small Island Developing States is "The sustainable development of small island
developing states through genuine and durable partnerships".
This conference will be one of the largest events ever held in Samoa and will attract 3,000
delegates from 193 countries. It will also focus international media on Samoa and give it an
opportunity to showcase itself as a tourist and conference destination.
The conference itself will be centred at the Faleata Sports Complex in Apia and construction,
including a media centre, is expected to be completed on schedule. A Government Taskforce
has been set up to oversee the organisation of the conference.
www.sids2014.org
www.facebook.com/SAMOASIDS
www.sidssamoa2014.ws/
Teuila Festival
The Teuila Festival is an arts, culture and food festival held annually in Samoa. In 2014, the
festival is to be held at the same time as the SIDS Conference to maximise the exposure of
Samoan culture to international visitors and media. Festival activities will include a choral
exhibition, traditional Siva Samoa and contemporary dance competitions, Chief's Fiafia
Polynesian spectacular, Ailao Afi/Fire Knife dancing, Umu (Samoan ground oven), tattooing
and carving demonstrations, Miss Samoa Pageant and many other events.
https://www.facebook.com/TeuilaFestival
http://www.teuilafestivalsamoa.com/
Samoa Tourism Authority
The Statutory Body was originally called the Samoa Visitors Bureau when it was first
established in 1986 following the passing of the Samoa Visitors Bureau Act in 1984. In 2002
the entity's name changed to the Samoa Tourism Authority (STA).
The STA has nearly 70 staff working in five main divisions: the Marketing & Promotion Unit,
Planning & Development Unit, Finance and Corporate Services Unit, Policy and Advice Unit
and its Research & Statistic Unit.
The Authority's mission is to “ensure the achievement of quality sustainable tourism that is
beneficial for Samoa and delivers a satisfying premier Samoan Experience for tourists.”
Focus of these assignments
Volunteer assignments will work alongside local staff and organisers to help ensure that the
SIDS Conference and Teuila Festival are successful events that leave visitors and media with
a positive impression of Samoa and promote Samoa as a tourist and conference destination.
4
Appendix 2. LIVING AND WORKING SITUATION
Working situation
The Samoa Tourism Authority is located in the heart of Apia Town and is housed in the
Government Complex known as the Fiame Naomi II Building on the ground floor. Its marketing
unit is housed in the STA Fale with the Samoa Hotels Association near the city centre and
harbour. Both offices are very close to all available services and also to accommodation.
Generally work starts at 9 and finishes at 5, however, leading up to and during the SIDS
Conference and Teuila Festival, hours are likely to be less regular and more priority focussed.
The office has four standard uniforms that are worn Monday to Thursday and this is normally
provided for volunteers and new recruits. Ladies are required to wear a sei (flower) and men an
ula (lei). On Fridays staff are allowed to wear any work-appropriate clothing.
Living situation
The Apia CBD has the usual amenities to serve the local people. It has a post office, banking
services with ATMs that accept international bank cards, cafes and restaurant. It is also
serviced by an international airport at Faleolo (40 to 50 minutes drive from the CBD). Samoan
currency is tala (dollar) and sene (cents). Apia is an attractive town surrounded by many small
urbanised villages spreading west down the coast.
The climate is warm all the year round with a hotter wetter season occurring from November to
April. Drier and comparatively cooler weather occurs in the remaining months. The
temperature ranges from 20 to 38c, depending on the time of year and location. The windward
shores of Samoa get about 5000mm of rain each year but the capital, Apia, receives only
about 2900mm. Samoa lies squarely in the notorious cyclone belt of the South Pacific and has
received a number of devastating blows over the years, including two very destructive
cyclones, ‘Ofa’ and ‘Val’, in the early nineties.
The national hospital in Apia is well equipped to deal with tropical diseases and minor injuries,
however, the health budget does not stretch to include the equipment and expertise available
in New Zealand. There are mosquitoes and the odd outbreak of dengue and typhoid, but no
malaria.
INTRODUCTION TO SAMOA
Samoa lies in the heart of the Pacific. Western religion has been incorporated into Samoan
tradition since the early 19th Century and forms an important and strong part of daily life.
Migrants from Southeast Asia arrived in the Samoan islands more than 2,000 years ago and
from there settled the rest of Polynesia further to the east. Contact with Europeans began in
the early 1700s but did not intensify until the arrival of English missionaries and traders in the
1830s. At the turn of the 20th century, the Samoan islands were split into two sections. The
eastern islands became territories of the United States in 1904 and today are known as
American Samoa. The western islands became known as Western Samoa (now the
Independent State of Samoa), passing from German control to New Zealand in 1914. New
Zealand administered Western Samoa under the auspices of the League of Nations and then
as a UN trusteeship until independence on the 1st January 1962 (celebrated on 1st June every
year). Western Samoa was the first Pacific Island country to gain its independence. In July
1997 the Constitution was amended to change the country's name from Western Samoa to
Samoa (officially the "Independent State of Samoa"). Western Samoa had been known simply
as Samoa in the United Nations, since joining the organisation in 1976.
Since independence, Samoa has operated on a British based parliamentary system which has
been revised to accommodate local customs. Each village is comprised of extended families
5
headed by a chief called a matai. In 1990 universal suffrage was adopted but up until then
only matai were allowed to vote in elections. Matai (who can be male or female) represent the
family on the village council. As this council is responsible for law enforcement in their village,
discord can occur between the traditional system and the western legal system which is
followed by national government. The Fa'a Samoa, or traditional Samoan way, remains a
strong force in Samoan life and politics. Despite centuries of European influence, Samoa
maintains its historical customs, social systems, and language, which is believed to be the
oldest form of Polynesian speech still in existence.
Samoa consists of the two large islands of Upolu and Savaii and seven small islets (an area of
2,934 sq. km) located about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand in the Polynesian
region of the South Pacific. The highest peak in Savaii is Mt Silisili which rises to 1850 metres.
Samoa has a population of 188,359 (2008 census) made up of 92.6% Samoans, 7% mixed
European and Polynesian) and 0.4% European. The main religions in Samoa are Christian
(98.9%). The official languages are Samoan and English. The main island of Upolu is home
to nearly three-quarters of Samoa's population and its capital city of Apia. The climate is
tropical, with a rainy season from November to April.
Samoa operates on a predominantly informal economy, with only 18% of the population
formally employed in a salaried position. The Samoan economy is dependent on agricultural
exports, tourism, and capital flows from abroad. The effects of three natural disasters in the
early 1990s were overcome by the mid-1990s, but economic growth cooled again with the
regional economic downturn and the September 29, 2009 Pacific tsunami, which devastated
many of Samoa’s tourist resorts and connecting roads. Long-term development depends upon
repairing and upgrading the tourist infrastructure, attracting foreign investment, and further
diversification of the economy.
In the early 1990s, Samoa’s economy suffered blows from two consecutive cyclones (Cyclone
Ofa in 1990 and Cyclone Valerie in 1991) and an outbreak of taro leaf blight (a root crop which
is the staple food and was the largest export). The government responded to these shocks
with a major programme of road building and post-cyclone infrastructure repair. Economic
reforms were stepped up, including the liberalisation of exchange controls. GDP growth
rebounded to over 6% in both 1995 and 1996 before slowing again at the end of the decade.
The primary sector (agriculture, forestry, and fishing) employs less than 2% of the labour force
and produces 3.6% of GDP. Important products include coconuts and fish.
The service sector accounts for about three-quarters of GDP and employs approximately 50%
of the labour force. Tourism is the largest single activity, more than doubling in visitor numbers
and revenue over the last decade. In 2009, Samoa’s tourism industry encountered major
obstacles, namely the global financial crisis and the devastation of the September 29 tsunami.
The tsunami ravaged 25% of Upolu Island’s south and south-eastern coast, which housed
some prime resorts and beach fale (house). This, however, did not undermine the booming
industry, with tourism arrivals increasing to more than 128,000 in 2009 and contributing over
$120.8 million to the local economy. The tourism industry started rebuilding a week after the
devastation, making use of subsidies and concessional loan assistance from the Samoan, New
Zealand, and Australian Governments. Some hotels have since reopened and others are in
the process of rebuilding.
Industry accounts for about 13% of GDP while employing less than 6% of the work force. The
largest industrial venture is Yazaki Samoa, a Japanese-owned company processing
automotive components for export to Australia under a concessional market-access
arrangement. The Yazaki plant employs more than 2,000 workers and contributes over 20% of
the manufacturing sector's total output. New Zealand is Samoa's principal trading partner,
typically providing between 35 and 40% of imports and purchasing 45 to 50% of exports. The
growing number of Asian-owned businesses in Samoa has led to increasing trade with Hong
Kong and Japan. Australia, the United States, including American Samoa, and Fiji, are also
6
important trading partners. Samoa's principal exports are coconut products, nonu fruit, and
fish. Its main imports are food and beverages, industrial supplies, and fuels.
The collapse of taro exports in 1994 has had the unintended effect of modestly diversifying
Samoa's export products and markets. Prior to the taro leaf blight, Samoa's exports consisted
of taro ($1.1 million), coconut cream ($540,000), and "other" ($350,000). Ninety percent of
exports went to the Pacific region, and only 1% went to Europe. Forced to look for alternatives
to taro, Samoa's exporters have dramatically increased the production of copra, coconut oil,
and fish. These three products, which combined to produce export revenue of less than
$100,000 in 1993, now account for over $6.7 million. There also has been a relative shift from
Pacific markets to European ones, which now receive nearly 15% of Samoa's exports. These
exports are still concentrated in fish ($5.8 million), nonu fruit products ($3.27 million), and
coconut products ($0.9 million worth of copra, copra meal, coconut oil, and coconut cream),
but are at least somewhat more diverse than before.
Samoa annually receives important financial assistance from abroad. The more than 100,000
Samoans who live overseas provide two sources of revenue. Their direct remittances have
amounted to $128.2 million per year recently (about 24% of GDP), and they account for more
than half of all tourist visits. In addition to the expatriate community, Samoa also receives
more than $28 million annually in official bilateral development assistance from China, Japan,
Australia, and New Zealand. These three sources of revenue tourism, private transfers, and
official transfers, allow Samoa to cover its persistently large trade deficit.
In March 2006, the United Nations reviewed Samoa's status as a Least Developed Country
and recommended graduation into Developing Country status. Samoa has sought a review of
the decision on grounds of economic and environment vulnerability, although graduation may
improve Samoa's international ratings for investment risk.
7