Seasonal staff on benefit at peak amid harvest panic
Seasonal foreign workers who remained in New Zealand last year drew on emergency government hardship funds most heavily in September and October, just as some growers were urgently searching for labour to help bring off their spring harvests.
In the final week of September (24th-30th), 887 Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme workers were approved for the Foreign Nationals Support Programme, funded by the Department of Internal Affairs and operated by the Red Cross.
In the first two weeks of October, 404 and 521 RSE workers respectively were approved for the benefit. Assistance was provided for up to a month at a time so the total number of RSES receiving the benefit likely climbed to well over 1000. A DIA spokesperson said the department does not have figures for the total number of RSE workers on the programme readily available. There were an estimated 6500-7000 RSE workers remaining in New Zealand at the time.
RSE employees were eligible for the programme when they were
deemed to be in hardship and were unable to return home, each was entitled to up to $150 a week for food, up to $250 per week for accommodation and “reasonable actual costs for utilities like gas and power”, the DIA spokesperson said.
In a quirk of the programme, DIA said the Red Cross worked closely with RSE employers. Food vouchers were provided directly to employers to distribute to their RSE employees, and accommodation and utilities support was paid directly employers.
Both the horticulture and wine sectors rely heavily on RSE workers. Since September last year a range of growers from berry farmers to orchardists have described a devastating labour shortage that has likely left more than $1b of fruit and vegetables unpicked and still threatens to hamper winter grape pruning.
In 2020, no new RSES were allowed entry into New Zealand after late March when the country adopted a largely shuttered border policy in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Those who remained in the country have been in huge demand through the harvesting and pruning seasons. And while horticultural work has a natural lull in September and October, some early harvesters were already suffering from a lack of workers in that period last year.
The RSE scheme does not operate like an ordinary labour market. In order for out-of-work employees to move to new work last spring, exisiting employers had to release them to recruiting employers. In addition, Immigration NZ had to approve such moves.
In August, the Government extended all RSE visas set to expire between August 18 and the end of the year by six months. However the change did not include “extending work conditions on the visa. This has to be done via the normal visa application process,” Fiona Whiteridge, general manager of MBIE’S refugee and migrant services clarified.
“It meant that RSE workers could continue to work with their approved employers but had to apply for extended work conditions if they were changing to a new RSE employer. Processing such applications typically takes two to five working days from when they are lodged.”
— NZ Herald