2000 RSE workers allowed to enter NZ
The Government has announced it will allow 2000 horticultural workers from the Pacific to enter New Zealand in the new year under strict conditions, in the first signifiant opening of the border to foreign workers since the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
Under the Registered Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme, workers from various Pacific Island nations will be able to enter the country between January and March next year to help plug labour shortages in the horticultural and wine sectors. However, employers must meet a set of strict criteria. Companies will be required to cover the cost of managed isolation, currently estimated at $4722 per person in addition to paying the workers a minimum of $22.10 an hour.
They will also be required to pay workers for a 30-hour working week while in isolation.
It is the single biggest economic-based border exception to date, second only to an exception created for critical health workers.
Agriculture Minister Damien
O’Connor said the Government had listened to concerns raised by the sectors facing a labour crunch.
‘‘We accept they need help to meet labour shortages that threaten harvests this coming season, so we are acting to allow up to 2000 experienced RSE scheme workers to come to New Zealand from certain Pacific Island countries,’’ O’Connor said.
‘‘As there is limited capacity in Managed Isolation Facilities (MIQ), entry will be staggered, with workers coming in groups, starting from mid-January, to avoid peak holiday demand from New Zealanders wanting to return for Christmas,’’ O’Connor said.
The Government said it is working with industry representatives to determine how many workers each employer could get.
The Government had already reserved spaces for the RSE workers in its isolation facilities, and there would be very limited availability for the rest of the year.
The vast majority were still being used for returning New Zealanders.
‘‘We’ve been working with the sector for quite a long time trying to get the balance right,’’ Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi told Stuff.
While acknowledging that the sector will be left ‘‘quite a bit short’’ of the desired number of workers, Faafoi said the process was pragmatic and the Government was still working on ways to get Kiwis into the jobs.
HortNZ chief executive Mike Chapman said the industry was appreciative and growers were relieved by the decision, but noted the timing meant that spring and early summer crops had already missed out. The extra costs imposed on growers for MIQ and a minimum hourly rate was the ‘‘best deal on the table’’, and it would be up to individual growers as to whether they would take the offer up.