Our High Commissioner to NZ Visits Our Seasonal Workers

Fiji’s High Commissioner to New Zealand, Filimone Waqabaca, held meetings with the Fijian seasonal workers deployed under the New Zealand Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Work Scheme. He did this when visiting the workers during a week long visit to Nelson, Blenheim and Napier.

The meeting with the Fijian Seasonal Workers and their employers was undertaken as part of the ongoing monitoring and evaluation exercise by the Fiji’s High Commission in New Zealand in association with the Fiji Ministry of Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations.

While having discussions with a group of Fijian seasonal workers at Rod Fry Ltd and Heywood Orchards in Nelson, Mr Waqabaca said the increase in the number of Fijian workers under the Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme directly benefitted the development of communities in Fiji. “We’ve grown from about 30 workers a few years ago to almost 400 now with everyone taking home over NZ$10,000 (FJ$13,995.86) on average at the end of the seven-month contract. That’s a lot of money for people who go back to their villages in Lau, Namosi, Ra and other provinces,” he said.

“I hear great stories about you building your houses, setting up small businesses and sending your kids to more prominent schools.”

The seasonal workers in Nelson have been involved in the picking and packaging of apples and kiwifruit. Mr Waqabaca thanked the Fijian seasonal workers for their positive work and reassured them of the Fiji Government’s continued support during their tenure as Fijian seasonal workers in New Zealand. Mr Waqabaca also expressed appreciation to the RSE employers for their remarkable support in making this initiative a success. Mr Waqabaca also spoke on the significance of the RSE which, was established through a partnership between our Government and the government of New Zealand.

One of the Fijian workers of the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Work Scheme in New Zealand, Cabelala Vakaloloma, said that his total earnings over the past two years in New Zealand have helped him to finish building his house in Ogea, Lau.