An RSE worker is afraid to go outside after he says he was kidnapped only metres away from his Mangateretere accommodation on Thursday evening, then threatened and beaten for money he didn't have. Photo / Paul Taylor
An RSE worker is afraid to go outside after he says he was kidnapped only metres away from his Mangateretere accommodation on Thursday evening, then threatened and beaten for money he didn't have. Photo / Paul Taylor
A seasonal worker has detailed how he was kidnapped from the side of a rural road in Hastings, in what his supervisor says appears to be a random attack motivated by money.
Joe*, a recognised seasonal employer working for R & J Employment Services, was putting wheelie bins outside hisaccommodation in Mangateretere about 5pm on Thursday.
He said two men wearing coverings over the lower half of their faces and what appeared to be gang attire with a skull design saw him, grabbed him, beat him and bundled him into their car.
A worker from Vanuatu in his first year in New Zealand, Joe* agreed to speak to Hawke’s Bay Today about his ordeal to raise public awareness about incidents of vulnerable RSE workers being randomly targeted in Hawke’s Bay.
Joe said his attackers put a cloth over his mouth and pulled him into a black car where a third person was waiting, before driving away while threatening him for money.
He said he was pushed forward with his face down between the front seats so he couldn’t see much, but he felt a sharp object pressed into his neck before they hit him with something hard on his right foot a few times.
He told them he didn’t have any money on him, but didn’t fight back as he feared for his life and thought they might kill him.
He said as the ordeal went on, he only thought about how he wanted to see his family.
He said he was eventually dumped relatively nearby on Lawn Rd in the dark, where he was found by the person whose property he had been left at.
While Joe avoided broken bones, he was treated in hospital on Friday morning and said he could still feel the physical and emotional pain.
A police spokesman said police were investigating reports of a man being kidnapped on State Highway 51 around 6pm on Thursday.
“The man was located walking south on State Highway 51 around 7.45pm,” the spokesman said.
“CIB attended the scene last night and inquiries are ongoing.”
The worker was beaten on his foot but luckily avoided broken bones. His supervisor says it is not the first time an RSE worker in Hawke's Bay has been abducted and threatened for money. Photo / Paul Taylor
His supervisor, who asked to remain unnamed, said the attack was senseless as RSE workers did not keep cash or cards on them while they walked around, sent most of their money home, and were usually told to stick in pairs or groups of three at night.
“There was absolutely nothing wrong with what he has done, this is their residence, this is where they live, this is where they should be safe,” he said.
“They are not interested in our politics, they come here to work, to make money to take home to their family. For this to happen to these guys, I just think it is low.”
He said it was not the first time an RSE worker from the company has been targeted.
“Last year one of our guys was picked up by two ladies and they had a knife on him driving him around all the banks to withdraw money. He had to jump out while the vehicle was driving to get away from them,” he said
Joe said he felt good about his experience with police and he was receiving support from his brother in Vanuatu and the RSE community around him, but he will fear stepping outside again in New Zealand.
He said he had been excited to arrive in New Zealand this year to work, but that excitement has disappated.
Another RSE worker from Vanuatu also with R & J, who did not wish to be named, said the incident had left him and others in the RSE feeling afraid in Hawke’s Bay.
“Why are those guys attacking us? We have done nothing wrong,” he said.
*Joe’s name has been changed to protect his identity due to fears of retaliation.
James Pocock joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2021 and writes breaking news and features, with a focus on environment, local government and post-cyclone issues in the region. He has a keen interest in finding the bigger picture in research and making it more accessible to audiences. He lives in Napier. james.pocock@nzme.co.nz
