What increase in RSE workers means for Hawke's Bay

Apples on an orchard in Hastings earlier this year. Photo / Warren Buckland

Hawke's Bay growers have welcomed news a record number of RSE workers from Pacific countries will be eligible to work in the region during next year's apple and grape harvest.

The Government this week lifted its cap on the maximum number of recognised seasonal employer (RSE) workers permitted in the country to 19,000 each year.

It had already lifted the cap in February from 14,400 workers to 16,000 workers.

The new limit covers the 12-month period from July 2022 to June 2023, and will see an influx in workers coming into the country from the likes of Vanuatu, Samoa, Tonga and Fiji.

About 30 to 40 per cent of RSE workers in New Zealand are based out of Hawke's Bay during the peak of the season, which generally runs from February to April, according to Immigration NZ.

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Apples, grapes and kiwifruit are all harvested during that peak time.

Hawke's Bay grows more apples than any other region in the country, by far, and is also a large wine region.

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Hawke's Bay Fruitgrowers Association president Brydon Nisbet said the latest increase to the RSE cap was "great news for our growers".

"RSE workers can't pick everything but it has definitely come at a great time and will take a lot of pressure off."

Orchards and vineyards have struggled under the impacts of Covid over the past three seasons, which has resulted in little-to-no backpackers being available for seasonal work.

Growers have welcomed the increase, which will help with worker shortages. Photo / NZME

Nisbet said the industry was expecting a "bit of an uplift" in backpackers and overseas travellers in 2023 but nothing compared to what the region saw prior to Covid.

The latest increase to the RSE cap included a provision that all workers be entitled to sick leave in addition to the minimum wage requirement of $22.10 an hour.

"I think growers will wear that no problem - to have the increase is the best thing and if we have to pay sick leave I think that is something that we can live with."

He said a lot of accommodation was being built to allow for an influx in RSE workers in the region.

Tukituki Labour MP Anna Lorck said the lift in RSE workers would be a boost for growers.

"Hawke's Bay growers have been leaders in the field as RSE employers, especially in pastoral care and building purpose-built accommodation, along with providing transport."

The RSE scheme was established in 2007 to bolster the workforce in the horticulture and viticulture industries.

The RSE scheme has received criticism over the years for not doing enough to safeguard Pacific workers from potentially being exploited.

The Green Party was not impressed with the latest announcement by the Government, stating in a press release it did "not go anywhere near far enough to end the exploitation of Pacific peoples who travel to Aotearoa for work".