In 1966, a group of Samoan men packed green bananas at a plantation in Lotopa, Apia. The fruit was bound for the New Zealand market. By the 1950s, Samoa was already sending over a million cases annually, making it a major supplier of bananas to Aotearoa.
A colour photograph from that period, preserved by Brother Humphrey O’Connor, shows the scale and rhythm of the export industry. The man standing to the right in the photo is identified as Tapumanaia Isumu Wilson.
Banana exports were once a backbone of Samoa’s economy. In the 1950s, bananas made up around 13% of the country’s export earnings. Samoa’s humid climate and fertile soil made it ideal for banana growing, and New Zealand importers relied on the fruit to meet consumer demand back home.
But by the 1970s, the trade had collapsed.
Multiple issues were blamed. Large growers pulled out due to frustrations with banana quotas issued by the Samoan government. Some small growers padded cases with kapok to meet quota weights. Serious banana diseases like Bunchy Top and Black Leaf spread, requiring expensive treatment. And Turners & Growers, the main New Zealand importer, insisted that Samoan bananas be packed as single fingers, not hands, while continuing to accept hand-packed bananas from South America.
By the late 1970s, banana exports had almost disappeared from Samoa.
Attempts to revive the trade came decades later. In 2018, a trial shipment of 500 cases was sent from Samoa to Auckland. Despite a delay caused by an ant infestation in two of the boxes, the shipment was fumigated and successfully sold. It was a tentative step toward reviving banana exports, on a much smaller and more tightly controlled scale.
Efforts since then have focused on modernising Samoa’s banana growing practices, introducing disease-resistant varieties, and aligning exports with New Zealand’s strict biosecurity standards.
The 1966 photograph remains a vivid reminder of the past. It shows a time when Samoa’s fruit reached thousands of homes across the Pacific and when export work was a shared, visible part of village and national life.
This article is based on an original historical post by Tony Brunt, with additional editorial input from the Samoa Newshub team.
About the Author
Tony Brunt
Tony Brunt is a writer, historian, and photo archivist based in Auckland, New Zealand. He serves as Photo Archivist & Consultant at the Museum of Samoa. His work brings light to overlooked Pacific histories using personal archives, photography, and field research. Tony has also served in various public and civic roles in New Zealand, including on the Wellington City Council and as a former Executive Councillor at the NZ Academy of Fine Arts.
