Pacific Island Food Revolution The Mission To create a happy, healthy and prosperous Pacific Island region based on its unique culture, agriculture and traditional capacities

The Conduit Increase the uptake of local agriculture both domestic and tourism uptake through the energizing and enhancement of local cuisine

‘Where cuisine goes, agriculture follows” Robert Oliver, TED Talk, 2013

The content of this document is the Intellectual Property of Robert 1 Oliver Enterprises © Why Cuisine?

Cuisine is culture. If you raise local cuisine, you lift culture.

Spam is not food. Neither are mutton flaps, turkey necks or instant noodles. But these are the foods the Pacific islands have embraced – and the results have undermined the health of their people, their economies and their environment.

Good food underpins the welfare of a country. Wrong food leads to , diabetes and other lifestyle diseases including malnutrition. In the Pacific, these diseases are placing a massive unfunded burden on public health services and creating foreign aid dependency- let alone the effects on peoples happiness and daily lives.

Food is about economic growth. It is about the production of high-quality products for export, and the incredible impact of food in tourism seen in places like Thailand. It empowers women, the providers of family nutrition and sellers of food in markets and small shops.

And importantly, food and cuisine are about tradition, culture, and national pride. It is where people come together to share their culture, experience new flavours and deepen people-to- people links.

This submission aims to articulate that raising the profile, perception and status of domestic Pacific Island cuisines improves local health, tourism economy and cultural sense of self.

The content of this document is the Intellectual Property of Robert 2 Oliver Enterprises ©

Tourism- the Economic Opportunity

“To us - food mediates relationships, facilitates health, celebrates life and its achievements, defines identity, identifies culture and links us closely to the earth that gave birth to us. Therefore to offer our cuisine to the tourists – who are visitors to our land makes hospitality to them more whole. In the modern world it of course includes the stimulation of our economy as more tourists money is channeled to local farmers and processors” Suliana Siwatibau, Organic Farmer, Geneticist,

In the Pacific, tourism is the shopfront for economic opportunity and cultural engagement. In tourism, cuisine is both a destination brand opportunity and the link to local agriculture through tourism menus. Cuisine is the glue that holds it all together.

Creating efficient and effective linkages between tourism and agriculture would among other things, stimulate rural development and entrepreneurship, revive traditional agriculture and cuisine, reduce high levels of leakage through import substitution of tourism food requirements, and re-enforce Pacific Islands’ differentiation in international tourism markets.

The content of this document is the Intellectual Property of Robert 3 Oliver Enterprises © “When local food is in tourism, it becomes tourism for everybody: from farmers to fishermen to artisan food makers to the jam and jelly makers to the restaurateurs. I often think of Thailand and its street food….and here I see an extremely successful cuisine. Each of these vendors is a micro- economy -- often family based. And because this food is Thai in origin, it reaches further into the farms and fisherman and food producers to create a dynamic of culinary prosperity” Robert Oliver TED 2103

Stronger linkages between tourism and agriculture will also reduce the significantly high leakage of tourism receipts. It is that estimated that approximately 56% of visitor expenditure in is lost to leakage due to spending on imported goods and services.(1)

Food is estimated to represent approximately 30 % of total tourist expenditure (2). After removing 25 % for international air travel from the World Bank value for Fiji’s tourism receipts (US$971 million in 2013)(3), roughly US$218 million was spent by international visitors on food in Fiji in 2013.

1 International Monetary Fund, Pacific Island Countries: In Search of a Trade Strategy, 2014 2 ITC, Linking Agriculture to Tourism Market 2010 p3 3 World Tourism Organization, Yearbook of Tourism Statistics 2014 The content of this document is the Intellectual Property of Robert 4 Oliver Enterprises © According to a study that same year, about 70 % of food for the tourism industry in the Pacific is imported. It could therefore be assumed that in 2013, Fiji imported roughly US$153 million in food for international visitors.

There is limited local cuisine on Pacific hotel menus. There has been little awareness of Pacific cuisine in the originating tourism markets, and the chefs in the Pacific have had inadequate access to cookbooks upon which to base their creativity. Cuisine development would create a firm foundation for the development of the continued evolution of linkages between local agriculture and tourism.

“Local cuisine requires local agriculture. So in tourism led economies, the menus are the business plan of the nation” Robert Oliver, TED Talk, 2013

The content of this document is the Intellectual Property of Robert 5 Oliver Enterprises © At Home- Health, Happiness, Identity

The South Pacific is in a crisis. Every day, 2 Fijians have a limb removed due to diabetes, American , and the are the worlds most obese nations- with and Samoa not far behind.

“Interestingly, although countries in North America and Europe appear prominent on the global map owing to their size, the countries with the biggest obesity problems are almost exclusively found in the Pacific Islands - with (74.6 per cent of the population), Nauru (71.1 per cent) and Cook Islands (63.7 per cent) making up the top three” The Independent, UK 2014

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There have now been 2 generations who have been raised under the umbrella of fast, processed and convenience foods. Small Pacific nations are vulnerable to the massive marketing campaigns of fast foods: marketing that is often passed off as truth. NGO Health initiatives tend to have been packaged into reduced components- less sugar, less fat, less fried food.

“Traditional food patterns were nutritionally adequate and were a good source of vitamins and minerals. There is no name in the indigenous languages for malnutrition and the first reports of beri beri were found in indentured labourers from China who lived mainly on imported foods. “The fine physique of the modern Pacific islander is a result of generations of good nutrition”.

Diet, Food Supply and , WHO Pacific Regional Office 2003

In 1940 visiting American nutritionist Weston Price observed Samoans as having had “ near perfect physiques” and even I, growing up in 1970’s Fiji, remember very little neither obesity nor diet-related public conversation. This is new.

The content of this document is the Intellectual Property of Robert 7 Oliver Enterprises © "The stereotype of Pacific food and Pacific Islanders is of islanders eating corned beef, fatty mutton flaps and chicken and reaping the terrifying results of this post-colonial diet with diabetes and other serious health problems. Because it is exactly that - a diet formed after colonials arrived and decided that it would be a clever idea to foist unwanted leftover fatty meats onto island nations because they would be cheap and a great way to get rid of food that first nations people no longer wanted, we need to see this stereotype for exactly what it represents – food colonisation, along the same lines as all other forms of colonisation, for the betterment of the colonial group at the expense of those colonised. Islanders took to these replacement foods often because they had moved away from their traditional diets and settled for the easier fast food diets of modern civilisation. That was the price of moving from a healthy subsistence lifestyle into a colonial co-dependent lifestyle” Cathie Koa Dunsford, Global Dialogues 2010

“Food colonization”, along with the landslide emergence of convenience foods, has had a shocking impact on Pacific Island health.

Additionally, there is a notion in the minds of many Pacific people that “overseas is better”, testament to the power of marketing and the thoroughness of colonization.

The content of this document is the Intellectual Property of Robert 8 Oliver Enterprises © Neither these imported foods, nor the processed foods that have deluged the region, are Pacific Island cuisine. The original diet was based on complex carbohydrates, seafood, lots of green vegetables, all forms of coconut and tropical fruit; a stunning whole foods cuisine. With this approach, the “less salt, less sugar” is taken care of all, but from a point of aspiration rather than agenda.

Domestically, the “whole food” traditional cuisine knowledge is the opportunity to combat the daunting NCD diet related health epidemic that is bringing the region to its knees.

The answer is right there in the Pacific backyard: in it’s farms, villages, and markets and in the dishes that Pacific grandmothers cooked.

This team remains undaunted by the enormous marketing budgets of the fast food companies- quite simply, we have a better story to tell: the story of South Pacific cuisine.

The content of this document is the Intellectual Property of Robert 9 Oliver Enterprises © The Power of Cuisine

4HE0OWEROF#UISINE !VISION FOR3AMOA

#LIMATE CHANGE !RTISANAL PRODUCERS #ULTURE HERITAGE ANDPRIDE 6ALIDATIONOF TRADITIONAL !GRICULTURE 3AMOAN MENUSAND FARMING RECIPESBASED (OPSITALITY ONLOCALORGANIC &OOD 3AMOAN SECURITY PRODUCE 4OURISM %NVIRONMENTAL "RAND 6ISITOR .ATURAL EXPERIENCE LOCALECONOMY (EALTHAND GENERATION HAPPINESS

(graphic from “Mea’ai Samoa; Recipes and Stories from the Heart of Polynesia”, Random House 2013, Oliver/ Berno)

The content of this document is the Intellectual Property of Robert 10 Oliver Enterprises © Health and Tourism- Synergies With cuisine as the hub, both health and tourism come together. Although usually viewed separately, they merge within the lives of Pacific island people in economy, health and strengthened by cultural identity: the story of the food is the story of the people.

Healthy local cuisine further enhances the “ pure food’ destination brand made possible by tourism awareness of the Pacific’s unique cuisines.

The Role of Cookbooks and are the main originating markets for international visitors to South Pacific island countries Regardless of the close proximity of those major markets to their Pacific Island destinations, international tourists’ knowledge of local cuisine and foods in the region is minimal at best. Visitors from longer haul markets, in Europe and North America for instance, have even less idea of what constitutes local food or cuisine. Food and cuisine are, however, integral parts of the culture and history of any destination. Because international visitors do not know about local food and cuisine, their experience of Pacific Island destinations lacks an appreciation of a major component of their host community’s history and culture.

The content of this document is the Intellectual Property of Robert 11 Oliver Enterprises © Global awareness of South Pacific island cuisine began in earnest only when “Me’a Kai: The Food and Flavours of the South Pacific” won the 2010 Gourmand World Cookbook Award for “Best Cookbook in the World”. This awareness was reinforced when a second cookbook focused on Samoa won another Gourmand World Cookbook Award for the Best TV Chef Cookbook in the World three years later. International attention has, for the first time, begun to focus on the cuisine and stories of the island people of the Pacific. Destination cookbooks are also powerful domestic motivators. In a recent testimonial to Chef Robert Oliver, author of both of these award-winning cookbooks, the Honorable Prime Minister of Samoa described the effect of Mea’ai Samoa: Recipes and Stories from the Heart of Polynesia:

“Mea'ai Samoa has taken on a life beyond the bookshelf. lt has become the cooking manual, the tourist takeaway, the industry guide and the farmer's way into our local menus. Our hospitality industry is embracing local, organic produce like never before. Robert Oliver's simple premise to make the menu the business plan has incited passion and competition among our top hoteliers and restauranteurs.4

The books themselves create awareness of the cuisine in the tourism market, as does the ensuing media on the books release. In other words- you don’t have to buy the books to become aware that the cuisine exists.

4 Appendix B1 - Hon. Prime Minister of Samoa testimonial for Chef Robert Oliver 12 Aug 2015 The content of this document is the Intellectual Property of Robert 12 Oliver Enterprises © An increasingly significant number of travellers are stating that food is a key aspect of their travel experience and that they believe experiencing a country’s food is essential to understanding its culture - increasing numbers of tourists are seeking “authentic” experiences, especially the food that they eat. People’s interests in food quality, ecological concerns about the needs for increased sustainable agricultural practices, health and nutrition concerns, a more sophisticated knowledge of food and beverages and acquired information about different cuisines are impacting upon tourists’ expectations and behaviours when they travel.

Beyond tourist awareness, cookbooks are a vital development tool for the local chefs. Chefs have had little Pacific based cuisine manuals to base their creativity.

Cookbooks create glamour and authority and form the cultural framework for cuisine development- they catalyse conversation around the notion of cuisine and culture.

“Gourmand's founder and president, Edouard Cointreau, saw it was far more than a mere recipe book with high production values: it was a culinary love letter from a smattering of islands in the South Pacific. "It showed how one cookbook could be very ambitious, and try to have an impact on society for health, food culture and local economy," Cointreau says. Never before had such an exalted prize been won by such a humble book. Until then, for example, Samoan food, cooked on hot stones in fire pits, hadn't even been considered cuisine.” The content of this document is the Intellectual Property of Robert 13 Oliver Enterprises © Sydney Morning Herald, September 15 2015

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/good-weekend/robert-olivers-moveable- feasts-20150910-gjjpiu.html#ixzz3ppxSgcef

Cookbooks create a groundswell of pride and are vital repositories of often-disappearing cuisine culture. Pacific Island traditional food culture is disappearing. As Tongan Chef Uinita Kaloni said “ The traditional dishes we grew up with are drifting away. If we lose that, we are hopeless”

The content of this document is the Intellectual Property of Robert 14 Oliver Enterprises © The Power of Television

“The creation and dissemination of local content reflecting the values and experience of local communities is necessary for the preservation of cultural diversity. Cultural identity and expression will, in turn, foster equitable development of all sections of humanity.

During the last few years there has been a growing recognition of the need to generate local content and make it available through new and traditional media in order to empower communities and lead them to an inclusive knowledge society.” PACIFIC ISLANDS TELEVISION SURVEY UNESCO REPORT 2002

If you drive through any Pacific Island village at night, you’ll see the soft glow of a television set often from one or two central dwellings where villagers tend to gather. Not every home has one- but television watching has become a communal activity much as oratory gatherings did in the past. Shows with local content are popular, although there is a shortage of local programming with the high production values associated to Australian or New Zealand content.

Digicel is now stepping into the webtv and digital market in the Pacific and considering their extensive foothold in the

The content of this document is the Intellectual Property of Robert 15 Oliver Enterprises © mobile phone and web communications space here, it will be interesting to see how they carry their audience.

Television is still the “hero” communicator. Like books, television content denotes authority and glamour.

Television is the mainstay of fast and processed food advertising- the marketers understand well the following:

“The noticeable trends are the top-down flow of content from economically and socially powerful groups to less privileged and disadvantaged groups; from the bigger and richer countries and media houses to the smaller and poorer countries and networks. The impact of these media is changing concepts of identity and the social bonds within communities and cultures, often at the cost of local cultural expression” PACIFIC ISLANDS TELEVISION SURVEY UNESCO REPORT 2002

In Australia and New Zealand, the impact of reality based coking shows- in particular My Kitchen Rules and Masterchef- is ground breaking. These shows enjoy massive ratings and have managed to galvanize the public around the notion of cooking and cuisine like no other. Quite simply, they are cultural phenomena.

The content of this document is the Intellectual Property of Robert 16 Oliver Enterprises © The REAL PASIFIK television series which travelled across the Pacific creating local food chef ambassadors has had terrific traction in the region, with many networks screening the whole series up 30 times. The shows success was due to: • Its casting of local chefs in star roles • Pacific Islanders enjoyed learning about the food from neighboring islands • The food: many commented on the pride they felt at seeing their own food culture being portrayed with such high value, and how the chefs were able to innovate and create with very familiar dishes that had until now considered to be too “typical” • The show has distinct Pacific personality and humour. • The show is empowering and aspirational in nature. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slwekLuth9E&feature=s hare

“Local content is the expression and communication of a community’s locally owned and adapted knowledge and experience that is relevant to the community’s situation. The process of creating and disseminating local content provides opportunities for members of the community to interact with each other, expressing their own ideas, knowledge and culture” PACIFIC ISLANDS TELEVISION SURVEY UNESCO REPORT 2002

The content of this document is the Intellectual Property of Robert 17 Oliver Enterprises ©

In New Zealand, a Maori reality cooking show “Marae Kai Masters” is in its second season on Maori Television and has had a similar effect to My Kitchen Rules- but this time within the framework of indigenous Maori culture.

Hearts and Minds The Pacific Island Food Revolution is a campaign for the hearts, minds and wellness of Pacific Island people. It is total health: physical, cultural and economic.

Switching this thinking is the key to unlocking the health and economy of the region: in a sense, decolonizing with cuisine. We need a holistic movement that will capture the imagination of citizens and create pride in the region’s cuisine. Destination cultural cookbooks and Pacific focused food TV and other dynamic digital content are fundamental to doing this.

The content of this document is the Intellectual Property of Robert 18 Oliver Enterprises © Pacific Island Food Revolution Project Lead

Robert Oliver

Robert Oliver is a New Zealand chef who was raised in Fiji and Samoa. He has developed restaurants in New York,

The content of this document is the Intellectual Property of Robert 19 Oliver Enterprises © Miami, Las Vegas and Sydney, "farm to table" resorts in the Caribbean and food programs feeding homeless people and African immigrants with AIDS in New York City.

Robert returned to the South Pacific to write his first book, Me’a Kai: The Food and Flavours of the South Pacific (Random House, New Zealand), with Dr. Tracy Berno and Fiji photographer Shiri Ram.

Written with a development mission to connect Pacific agriculture to the regions tourism sector, Me’a Kai stunned the food world by winning top prize, "Best Cookbook in the World 2010," at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in Paris, considered to be the Pulitzers of cookbooks, beating the books from NOMA and The New York Times.

In 2013, Robert released “Mea’ai Samoa: Recipes and Stories from the Heart of Polynesia” (Random House). In May 2014, this book won the “Best TV Chef Cookbook in the World 2013” at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in Beijing.

Robert is Chef Ambassador for Le Cordon Bleu, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands and is the presenter of REAL PASIFIK, a television series based on the food culture of the South Pacific. He was a keynote speaker at TEDx Auckland in 2013 and was one of the authors chosen to represent New Zealand at the Frankfurt Bookfair in 2012. In 2011 & 2012 Robert was Consulting Chef for NZ Trade & Enterprise

The content of this document is the Intellectual Property of Robert 20 Oliver Enterprises © (NZTE) in China, based in Shanghai. In 2014 Robert is appearing as one of the Tasting Panel judges in the New Zealand version of the hit prime time cooking show “My Kitchen Rules” and is co-host of the Maori indigenous reality cooking show “Marae Kai Masters”

Winner: “Me'a Kai: The Food and Flavours of the South Pacific” (Random House) BEST COOKBOOK IN THE WORLD 2010 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, Paris co-authored with Dr. Tracy Berno featuring Fijian photographer Shiri Ram.

Winner: "Mea'ai Samoa: Recipe and Stories from the Heart of Polynesia" (Random House) BEST TV CHEF COOKBOOK IN THE WORLD 2013, Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, Beijing co-authored with Dr. Tracy Berno featuring Fijian photographer Shiri Ram.

Finalist: New York Film & Television Award 2014 in Travel & Tourism (Zoomslide Media & TVNZ) for the television series REAL PASIFIK based on Robert’s work and the food culture of the South Pacific played over 2 seasons in New Zealand (TVNZ 1) and is distributed and playing in 40+ global networks. Agent: Johnson and Laird, NZ [email protected]

The content of this document is the Intellectual Property of Robert 21 Oliver Enterprises © Pacific Partnerships Women in Business Development, Samoa www.womeninbusiness.ws

Women in Business Development Inc is dedicated to strengthening village economies in Samoa in ways that honour indigenous tradition, use traditional and modern technology, and promote fair trade. We empower and equip rural families to cultivate sustainable businesses that maximize farm-based resources. We also facilitate trade with global and regional partners, including The Body Shop, All Good Organics and C1Espresso, which understand the potential as well as the limitations of small-scale farming in Samoa. The organization works in 183 Samoan villages and nurtures certified organic agricultural enterprises that annually puts more than SAT$600,000 into the hands of rural families. These families then have a chance to participate in a cash economy. For many, this means being able to send children to school, to pay utility bills and, importantly, to have control over their lives instead of relying on remittances. On a national scale, our farmers and artisans are using their skills, experience and time to uplift themselves and their communities. Through their collective industry, they are contributing to Samoa's success as a nation.

WIBDI’s “Farm to Table” program is based on a system was

The content of this document is the Intellectual Property of Robert 22 Oliver Enterprises © designed by chef and author Robert Oliver, who developed it in the Caribbean where he was the executive chef for three resorts. There he connected small family farms to the resort menus through the development of long-term supply agreements. Farm To Table operates a supply guarantee system where “consistency is our first product”. It aims to provide capacity across the value chain—from the certified organic farmers to Women in Business Development to restaurant owners and managers. The programme began in December 2013. It aims to create a sustainable source of income for farmers as well raise the profile and quality of Samoa’s cuisine. It also leverages the successful Mea’ai Samoa cookbook, written by Robert Oliver as a tool for development in Samoa. Currently we have two hotels and 10 restaurants on our programme. We have more than 20 farmers on this programme and that number is increasing as the orders increase. These farmers are working farms that range in size from one acre to one hundred acres. They are of course, certified organic, and are providing valuable input into the running of the programme.

WIBDI are social enterpreneurs- they sell coconut oil gathered from Samoan organic farms to The Body Shop UK, a breakthrough for Pacific business.

WIBDI mentors and consults with many women’s and farmers groups across the Pacific and can thus roll out the

The content of this document is the Intellectual Property of Robert 23 Oliver Enterprises © Farm to Table template across the region

FRIEND Fiji http://friendfiji.com

The Foundation for Rural Integrated Enterprises & Development (FRIEND) is ahomegrown community development Non-Governmental Organisation based in Lautoka on the west coast of Fiji’s main island, Viti Levu. The hallmark of FRIEND’s work is the integrated approach it brings into community development, working withcommunities in rural and under-served regions of Fiji’s western and northern and central divisions. This encompasses formal and non-formal settlements and we ensure inclusion of the marginalised members of the community including those living with disabilities, widows, single parents, orphans and former prisoners. Through its integrated social, health and economic interventions, FRIEND empowers communities through knowledge, skills and resources to improve their lives and break out of poverty. With the support of donor partners and through its own funding, FRIEND engages Communities in Governance programs, Sustainable Livelihoods, Disaster Preparedness and Healthy Living, targeting women, youths and men in each community we work in for sustainable development.

Sustainable Medicine Improving Lives The content of this document is the Intellectual Property of Robert 24 Oliver Enterprises © through Empowerment (SMILE) Fiji and the Pacific have been declared in Non Communicable Disease (NCD) Crisis in 2011 by the Pacific Forum Leaders. This shows the seriousness of our health status as Lifestyle diseases are killing people on a daily basis. 80% of all deaths in Fiji is attributed to NCDs, Diabetes is the number two killer, cardiovascular being the number one. Sustainable Medicine -Improving Lives through Empowerment (SMILE) evolved out of community clinic pilot trials of 2009 and 2010. SMILE uses the approach of community medicine where our group of medical workers, comprising doctors, nurses, physio and exercise therapists conduct regular NCD clinics in poor and remote communities. After introducing SMILE on VitiLevu’s west coast, our NCD clinics were introduced in Labasa on February 2012.

The content of this document is the Intellectual Property of Robert 25 Oliver Enterprises © FRIEND entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Health in 2013 as partner fighting NCDS in the communities. Each community is screened for diabetics and the patients found are followed through with care (including free medication) and referrals. The team works with physiotherapist and a physical exercise trainer. Physiotherapist works with diabetic and stroke patients on house to house visits, while the trainer promotes physical exercises in the communities. Each community starts their own regular exercise programs and appoint their own physical exercise coordinators. The team encourages backyard garden to ensure families have healthy meals available that include vegetables, fruits and staples. A lot of awareness programs have been mounted on developing healthy meals to try and reduce dependency on processed foods.

Dr Jone Hawea, who heads FRIEND’s health initiative, worked with Robert Oliver to create a series of healthy eating videos “Recipes for Life” that went viral in Fiji and across the Pacific.

FRIEND videos

Fish Soup https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLEmH-b0f7DM7fDlrP_qQG_tfGG7gxl- _K&v=gRjgctZACnA

Breadfruit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAlnI3vXpXo&index=1&list=PLEmH- The content of this document is the Intellectual Property of Robert 26 Oliver Enterprises © b0f7DM7fDlrP_qQG_tfGG7gxl-_K

Cassava Cake https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YV0SDLyudw&list=PLEmH- b0f7DM7fDlrP_qQG_tfGG7gxl-_K&index=2

Duck https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDGpw_-PyhI&list=PLEmH- b0f7DM7fDlrP_qQG_tfGG7gxl-_K&index=3

Salad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoYYDTpKE94&list=PLEmH- b0f7DM7fDlrP_qQG_tfGG7gxl-_K&index=4

Smoothies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQiPz9tID0E&index=6&list=PLEmH- b0f7DM7fDlrP_qQG_tfGG7gxl-_K

The content of this document is the Intellectual Property of Robert 27 Oliver Enterprises ©