Weaving Past, Present and FUTURES.

My last two weeks in Samoa have been about reconnecting with family, rediscovering my birthplace and observing the impact of COVID on a market where (like others) many businesses have had to forcibly pivot in order to enter a state of hibernation. Sadly, that pivot sometimes included closing up shop permanently and even resorting to whatever means were necessary in order to survive. And, like the rest of the world, life became very hard, very quickly and in such an unforgiving way for independent island nations like Samoa which had become reliant on its tourism and hospitality dollars from offshore visitors. Welcome to a 3-year, real-life version of the MCU blip.

However, like many developing nations across the Pacific, resilience is a foundational demeaner in the constant smiles you see around the island. This then speaks to the fact that there's so much coming out of the Pacific both now and in the not-so-distant future that will IMHO impact the global fabric of the Environmental, Social and Governance arena. The challenge however, is trying to select exactly which area is a priority. But for what it's worth, here's my unsolicited take on the big Changes For Good that we'll see coming from Samoa:

Changes For Good

Localized Independent Research - by the Pacific for the Pacific. It's no secret that the majority of the research and "forecasts" involving the Pacific are often created from outside of the Pacific. Let me just note here that this by no means is a bad thing. In fact, I thank those who care about the Pacific enough to help fill the research gaps that exist due to limited resources and capacity. However, thanks to a partnership with Silicon Valley based Institute for the Future with Lyn Jeffery and the team, we will begin to accelerate a different kind of research that has a more predictive lens that will create forecasts, build foresight, derive insight that culminates in action. I want to also acknowledge the many teams that are coming together to make this possible - The TAMARIX GROUP lead by Managing Director, Fa'amoetauloa Fa'avae Gagamoe , my team at Pasifika in IT , the team at Crayon for letting me give back to my homeland, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited for supporting beyond borders and (as mentioned earlier) Institute for The Future for agreeing to partner with us in the Pacific to be better prepared with foresights for local and global trends.?

On-Island Solutions?- the growth of the RSE (Recognised Seasonal Employment) programme for Samoa is significant. And how could it not be given the open borders and the opportunity to earn a stronger currency and have this remitted back home. However, whilst I may not be the sharpest knife in the kitchen, I'm a fast learner. And it didn't take me long to realize that during our 9 years in the Philippines, their version of the RSE programme known as being an OFW (Overseas Filipino Workers) contributed 10% of the country's economy with a value now projected to be over $36B USD for 2023. But there is a cost (I believe) which will be seen in the next generations driven by a restructure of the family nucleus with parents feeling left with no option but to leave their children to be raised by others. Our own experience in Manila saw one of our home helpers (a returning OFW from the Middle East) seeing her daughter for the first time after 15 years - leaving her three months after she was born as they had now become desperate given the little opportunity for work. So what's the alternative? How about creating On-Island solutions that builds export of talent "digitally" as an alternative option. The "On-Sourcing" of digital jobs and work presents a gargantuan opportunity which according to Gagamoe,TAMARIX and its regional partners across the pacific may not be too far away. So we should watch this space.

Innovation by Necessity - On Steroids. Those who have heard me speak will often hear me talk about "Innovation by Ideation or Necessity". The former creates new products and markets whilst the latter creates a better quality of life. But the question is - which is more powerful? No contest. When you barely have two fifty sene coins to rub together, your creativity and innovation goes hyper. So, what's the significance here? The true power is understanding how to take both types of innovation and combine them. And Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Cook Islands, <insert your South Pacific home here> do innovation by necessity so well. But if we could take that power and shift this to also create new products and markets for the rest of the world. But that requires investment into SME and in particular - technology start-ups that are birthed in the heart of the Pasifika. And why not? I saw enough boarded up stores to note there was no shortage of "necessity" in Samoa.

Faster preparation for Technology Shifts?- tied to point 1 but more focused on understanding the risks and opportunity presented by technology. Let's be clear - GPT has arrived in Samoa. Still very emergent in its uses and nature but it won't take long before school kids start using it to write essays. Just. Like. New Zealand. But if you think that's terrible, consider this. What happens if someone in a certain government office decides to ask BARD, GPT or any of the new information engines (popping up every other second) to consolidate all constituent data and create a new document? Do you think your data is still held in-country? Or still under your control? Evennow, developed countries are working through the intricacies of this new age of Information Engines and A.I. driven information creators and so what then happens to those who are caught unaware? There is an accelerated shift that is already here and understanding what tools "help" you or "hurt" you is important. And like I said, I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed but even I know giving your data to train an A.I. model that potentially knows more about your people than it should is probably not a good thing. The saying "if you're prepared for the worst, you're prepared" in this case means locking your data down until you have a framework that allows you to safely test and set your boundaries. I can help.?

Important Acknowledgements

There were a few more points but thought it better to save them for another post. In the meantime, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all the people who made time to connect with me during my "family holiday". The kindness shown by everyone whilst we were hanging out combined with the beautiful scenery made all of these "sudden" meetings both relaxing and productive at the same time. I was privileged to catch up again with the wonderful Tuatagaloa Joe, Annandale and equally wonderful wife Tammy to understand the amazing work they're doing in Poutasi with the RSE programme and also what the future might look like; Fa'amoetauloa, the TAMARIX Group and his family for letting us hang out with them; Viane Tagiilima for teaching me about UTOS and the value this brings to Samoa - brilliant. And still there are so many more people who made time but due to agreements still being fleshed out, I will have to thank them later. Needless to say, you know who you are and you have my deepest thanks. O fa'afetai e le uma.

Disclosure and Closing

It's important to disclose (if you hadn't guessed already) that my surname means a large part of me hails from Lalomalava, Savaii. Which is why every trip to Samoa will find us staying with our family there. And then if you connected the dots, you would know that the man our family called "Le Toeaina" and who also treated my late father like his brother, served as Prime Minister of Samoa for multiple terms with HRPP. Yes. The opposition. But whilst I am unclear on today's policies for or against across the aisle for Samoa, my faith and beliefs mandate that I always "lean in" to the government of the day. And this is simply because our success is dependent on this. And that very success will not be measured in some fiscal outcomes report, an ICT plan for the next term or a business scorecard created by any one of our private sector partners (se'i tulou foi i e o lo'o feagai ma le foafoaina o nei lipoti aloaia). No, that would be too easy. Instead, our success will be measured by that moment when the future generations look back and they will either say "thank you for setting aside your differences so that I could have a future" or they will say "if only...". And it's funny. The possibility that the second statement might be the legacy I leave behind, we leave behind, is enough to make me emotional and want to do whatever it takes to make this work. And so the question for you is, shall we go together?