Celebrating the Pacific Islands’ contributions to the RSE Scheme

The Pacific Cooperation Foundation has partnered with Horticulture New Zealand to celebrate the Pacific Islands’ contributions to the Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme (RSE) in New Zealand, at the HortNZ Conference on 27-29 July in Wellington.  

A five-part documentary series title “Voices of the Pacific” will premiere at the event following the journeys of workers who have come to New Zealand from Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu under the scheme. 

RSE came into effect in April 2007 enabling New Zealand’s horticulture and viticulture industries to recruit much need workers from selected countries in the Pacific region.   

This year marks the 15th anniversary of RSE, and the documentary series will highlight the history, struggles and successes of the scheme, discuss its future direction and the significant contribution the Pacific seasonal workers make to New Zealand’s economy.  

The documentaries will be supported by five editorial/opinion pieces in mainstream media leading up to and beyond the conference. 

While some workers have recently started their RSE journey, others are inter-generational workers who have continued in their family tradition of being committed RSE workers for several decades. The documentaries will cover the economic and career progression benefits of the scheme for seasonal workers as well as, the challenges of being isolated from their families over a prolonged period.