Now that Volunteer Service Abroad is a firmly established organisation it is time to investigate just how far its basic ideal has been realised, and whether it does more than make statements about martyrdom and nationalism.

Much has been written recently about international aid and New Zealand's role in this field. There has been a probing publication and a conference from the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, a Pacific supplement in the Universities' magazine Focus—all of these reaching the same conclusion—that our international aid should be increased. Most people sympathise with this point of view and citicise the various administrations for their apathy. It is trite that the Government should increase its financial contributions to aid programmes such as the various United Nations bodies.

But a nation's wealth lies in its people. This cliche is particularly applicable to N.Z. We do not have vast resources for capital investment, but we have at our disposal a form of aid, the success of which can not be defined in financial terms. But it often does far more than millions of dollars given out of a sense of paternal benevolence rather than out of a sense of mutual co-operation.

The person who goes as a volunteer can offer a unique form of aid. He can be from any section in our society, with either professional, practical or academic skills, prepared for a short period of time to utilise his skills in the interest of another people. Whether he is wholly sympathetic with their way of life is not a criterion for giving aid to a particular country. If not sympathetic before going overseas, he may soon become so. Such a form of aid is, after all, a system of mutual education.

The volunteer worker, more than a U.N. or similar expert, is prepared to be flexible and to learn from the people with whom he is working, as well as imparting his knowledge. He realises that he is just a minor labourer working on a small section of the road which is leading the developing country to eventual economic and social maturity.

The test comes when such a person leaves the overseas country, no matter with what task he is concerned, or under whose auspices he is doing it. Does the project with which he was concerned collapse, or does it thrive and progress? With Volunteer Aid, where individual rather than collective relationships are involved, the project's chances of being a success are often enhanced.

V.S.A. is a form of extra-government aid and is therefore not totally subject to the political whims of government although it does receive a substantial financial grant and assistance from the External Affairs Department. Being secular, it provides a way for all New Zealanders page 5to experience life in another culture, at the same time offering something different to that culture.

Has this form of aid been a success? Can it expand even further and contribute more to our aid programme? The number of volunteers actually overseas has increased from 16 to 1964 to more than 100 in 1968, and this supports an affirmative answer.

Perhaps the most significant pointer to its success, however, is the increasing number of requests For New Zealand Volunteer Aid, particularly technicians and graduates. From this it would seem that the ideals are being realised, for when individuals are involved an impression must be made, and the volunteer must become accepted by the people with whom he is working in order to achieve any success at all.

Money can be accepted with no thought of personal relationships between donor and recipient.

There is theoretically, no limit to where N.Z. volunteers may be sent if the need arises.

Volunteers have served in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, India, South Vietnam, Brunei, South Korea, the British Solomon Islands, the New Hebrides, the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, Fiji, Tonga and Western Samoa.