Many New Zealanders have wanted to do something about growing global inequalities. Volunteer Service Abroad was formed in 1962, and in the last forty years has sent some 2000 volunteers abroad to over thirty countries, for work on many different projects.

Pacific countries have hosted volunteers since VSA began. Education has been a particular focus of these assignments, along with agriculture and health. These small island states face many challenges, from the size of their economies to the pressures of globalisation. Recent strife in Bougainville has added post-war recovery to VSA’s commitment in the Pacific.

Volunteers have also been in Asia since 1962. From the 1980s, Bhutan has both welcomed VSA projects and sent students to New Zealand under the Colombo Plan. More recently, volunteers in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia have been involved in a mix of assignments, working alongside communities that have only recently emerged from decades of war. This year VSA’s newest country programme opened in East Timor.

VSA’s work in Southern Africa began in 1986, reflecting a national commitment to the region at both an official and a community level. Issues addressed by volunteers in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Tanzania have included voter education, AIDS, rural and urban development, education, health and small business development.

New Zealand Abroad marks forty years of volunteer commitment in developing countries. VSA invited eight leading photographers to set VSA work in context. The land, the people, their needs, and the work of New Zealand volunteers are the subject of some 350 superb full-colour photographs. Writers Trevor Richards, Jeremy Rose and Margot Schwass document the work of VSA in fourteen countries with vivid detail.

Photographs by Bruce Connew, Nicola Dove, Bryn Evans, David Gurr, Gil Hanly, Louise Hyatt, Glenn Jowitt and Terry O'Connor.

Note: this book is available from Volunteer Service Abroad, PO Box 12246, Wellington.

Endorsements                                              

'... a stunning book ...' New Zealand Herald

'A window into a world we too easily forget.' New Zealand Geographic

'New Zealand Abroad has great photos and production, and the essays are wonderful at giving insights into other cultures and the lifestyle of a VSA volunteer.' Montana New Zealand Book Awards 2003

Contents                                                       

Foreword
Sir Edmund Hillary 
Introduction
Trevor Richards 

Africa   
The Region 
Trevor Richards
South Africa
Trevor Richards, Terry O’Connor
Tanzania
Trevor Richards, Nicola Dove
Zimbabwe
Trevor Richards, Terry O’Connor

Asia
The Region
Margot Schwass
Bhutan
Margot Schwass, Bruce Connew
Cambodia
Margot Schwass, Gil Hanly
East Timor
Margot Schwass, Nicola Dove
Laos
Margot Schwass, Bruce Connew
Viet Nam
Margot Schwass, Gil Hanly

Pacific 
The Region
Jeremy Rose
Papua New Guinea
Jeremy Rose, Bruce Connew
Bougainville, Papua New Guinea
Jeremy Rose, Bruce Connew
Samoa
Jeremy Rose, Bryn Evans
Solomon Islands
Trevor Richards, Nicola Dove
Tokelau
Trevor Richards, Louise Hyatt
Tonga
Jeremy Rose, Glenn Jowitt
Vanuatu
Jeremy Rose, David Gurr

Appendix 1
VSA Volunteers; Patron; Presidents; Kaumatua; Council Chairs; Foundation Chairs; Directors
Appendix 2
Fact file sources