The dominant discourse on foreign aid in the Pacific tends to focus on power dynamics between donors who are vying for influence in the region. New Zealand and China, like other donors, use foreign aid as a tool of hegemony in the Pacific. As influential partners in the region, New Zealand is often viewed as a ‘good neighbour’ whereas China has drawn much more scepticism. This study explores New Zealand and China’s foreign aid - their similarities and differences - and Samoan aid stakeholder perceptions. It focuses on how aspects of politics, administration, delivery and outcomes of aid, are understood, framed and perceived. To explain the power dynamics between aid donors and recipients, neo-Gramscian and dependency theories were selected for this study.

Using a metaphoric image of a pua (frangipani), taniwha and dragon, this study reframes the aid donor-recipient narrative to place the perceptions and voices of the aid recipient at the centre. With the everchanging geopolitical context in the region, this study explores themes up until 2021. Case study design frames this research using a Mixed Methods Research (MMR) approach. To reflect positionality of the author and the 14 Samoan participants interviewed for this study, two Samoan methodologies were adopted to underpin this research. Fausiga o le fale tele governed the researcher self-reflection process; and Teu le vā guided the relational ethics of this study.

Despite the confines of the foreign aid environment, recipient nations have power as active participants in the aid donor-recipient relationship. With the plethora of traditional and contemporary aid partners in the Pacific - spurred by China’s evolving presence - opportunities have arisen for recipient nations. How recipient nations respond and manage the diversity of donors is important to understand. This study argues that Samoa expresses agency in its bilateral aid relationship with New Zealand and China to optimise its priorities and outcomes. The ways in which Samoa has expressed agency is evident in links between its perception of donors, relationship management and domestic institutions.