Talk about sun, sea, coconut palms and pristine beaches and you could be describing almost any nation in the Pacific. CPA Australia members live and work across the region in New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Samoa and Tonga, with CPA Australia agents located in Port Moresby and Suva.
The national economies in the Pacific Island region are relatively small, however, there are opportunities for finance, accounting and business specialists in many areas, including banking, tourism, and charity and aid.
Local professional accounting body
Contact CPA Australia to discuss your professional coverage when you are working in the region.
Pacific Islands' business environment
Despite the small size of the local economies, several busy industries provide opportunities for CPA Australia members.
Australian banks have a particularly strong presence in the Pacific. ANZ has offices in 11 countries across the Pacific region including American Samoa, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Cook Islands, Timor Leste, Fiji and Guam. Westpac is also located in Cook Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu.
The Pacific Islands have a strong tourism industry and the hotel industry offers finance experts many opportunities. By their nature, hotels have a high cash turnover and require skilled people to control their processes. This can range from the position of finance director, right down to assistant accountants and accounts clerks. Fiji, in particular, is home to many outposts of the world's major hotel chains, such as Sofitel, Mercure, Hilton, J P Marriott, Outrigger, Westin and Sheraton.
Many aid organisations work throughout the Pacific Islands to assist in developing and promoting projects such as: free trade agreements; effective, accountable and democratic government; improved service delivery; improved justice and security; and minimising the effects of natural resource exploitation. There are many and varied positions available in this sector including roles as program coordinators, regional accountants and procurement officers. Program coordinators design, implement, coordinate, monitor and evaluate long-term development and humanitarian programs. Regional accountants work towards the effective financial management of all activities within regional centres and report to management. Procurement officers manage the acquisition of all items and supplies for their region.
Work permits
The availability of work permits varies in the different nations. For more information contact the consulate of the nation you would like to work in.