Response upsets Motueka retailers
‘‘The feedback was that [RSE workers] did not spend a lot of money in the shops. But our members do understand the importance of the scheme to the town.’’ Howie Timms
Motueka retailers are shocked by a backlash to an article examining attitudes to Pacific Island Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) workers.
The article published in The Nelson Mail this week said Pacific Island workers were encouraged not to gather in groups to socialise or shop in the town, after a meeting between retailers, the Department of Labour, the police and orchardists which was organised after a verbal survey of retailers by an Our Town Motueka member.
Senior Sergeant Grant Andrews, of Motueka, who attended the meeting earlier this year, said the decision was made collectively.
However, Our Town Motueka chairman Howie Timms said Pacific Island workers gathering in groups had never been an issue for retailers.
He said the earlier informal verbal survey of a small number of retailers simply asked if RSE workers did anything for businesses.
‘‘The feedback was that they did not spend a lot of money in the shops. But our members do understand the importance of the scheme to the town.’’
Mr Timms said the subsequent meeting was not called by retailers, and only two business representatives attended by invitation, and they never pushed for workers not being allowed to congregate in High St.
He said the response from Motueka police was that the feeling of intimidation came from the wider community, not retailers.
‘‘Retailers are a little bit shocked and surprised at the feedback. The theme coming through is that Motueka retailers are a bunch of bigots.
‘‘I’ve had emails asking which shops to boycott and saying we are racist. We’ve been hung out to dry on an issue we were not even pushing.’’
However, RSE employer and orchardist David Easton said the article did not paint Motueka as a town of bigots. It was just that there were some people in the community who were disturbed by the workers gathering in groups.
The article encouraged debate, he said. ‘‘When you get people acknowledging there is an issue and having a discussion, it’s positive.’
Mr Easton, who attended the earlier meeting, said the decision to ask employers to talk to their workers about gathering in groups in the town was made collectively, and was not opposed by anyone attending.
He said that without its RSE workforce, Motueka would be poorer socially and economically.
An informal online poll on the Mail’s website had attracted 287 votes by this morning, with 57 voters (19.9 per cent) saying groups of seasonal workers gathering in the town did cause concern among residents, and they should stop congregating. How- ever, 230 voters (80.1 per cent) said it was a free country and workers could gather where they liked, as long as there was no illegal activity.
The article also attracted 39 online comments from readers.
‘‘I’ve never felt any kind of intimidation from groups of islanders in the streets of mot, in fact they usually return a smile quite happily,’’ said ‘‘Bert’’. ‘‘It’s time to grow up Motueka, you are part of a global world, and not everyone in it is white.’’
‘‘Local’’ said: ‘‘Orchardists are hardly going to discredit their own cheap imported labour and the police are hardly going to admit that they are not doing their job. In the meantime the residents of Motueka (particularly women) feel intimated by these large groups that gather.’’
‘‘Jay‘‘ said he would rather pass a group of friendly Islanders at night than a bunch of drunken local louts. ‘‘Unfortunately I do know of some people in Motueka, even a friend of mine, who feel threatened by them because of the colour of their skin . . . And as far as whinging retailers go . . . I could name one shop owner right now that informed me last season she had told them to stop coming into her store if they were just going to look.’’