Honorary Consulate of Samoa

Honorary Consulate of Samoa 🇼🇸
Location: Units 611-613, Block A, New Mandarin Plaza, 14 Science Museum Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Hong Kong

After entering the wrong building , we eventually found ourselves in New Mandarin Plaza, where the Samoan Honorary Consulate is located. The front of the consulate didn’t have a sign, and as expected looked like a regular office. However, after ringing the doorbell, we were quickly greeted by a kind woman who brought us to a back office, where we met the Samoan Honorary Consul, Mr. Mahtani. He offered us some refreshments, which we gladly accepted, and began our introductions.

Mr. Mahtani’s connection to Samoa is very deep, as he has been exporting to the country since 1965, and has visited the country countless times since then. He told us that he very much admired “Fa’a Samoa”, the Samoan way in English, as it is very family oriented, especially with high respect for elders. As part of his Honorary Consul duties, he told us that promoting tourism was an important focus, with several casinos, golf courses, and five-star resorts in the country. In terms of trade, there isn’t much of it between Hong Kong and Samoa, and Mr. Mahtani told us that due to “Fa’a Samoa”, a major source of income is the remittance that overseas Samoan workers send back home.

As such, there are a surprising number of Samoans in Hong Kong. Around 150 Samoans are currently working in Hong Kong, many of whom work at Disneyland as performers in fire shows and dances. In addition to his role as honorary consul Mr. Mahtani also shared his many life experiences with us, from meeting the Samoan Prime Minister, to being able to host Mother Teresa in Thailand, which he called “the greatest honour of his life” and shared an amazing story that we'll share on our website.

Asking Mr. Mahtani about what he believed young people in Hong Kong should know, he told us that he wanted them to realize Hong Kong was still an amazing city, rife with opportunities, and to not give up on the city. We’d like to thank Mr. Mahtani and his staff for their time and hospitality, and we’d encourage you all to visit Samoa some time in the future!