RSE workers from Samoa working in Bostock orchard, Hastings. Photo: RNZ / Anusha Bradley
Samoa needs a "reality check" on how it participates in the recognised seasonal employer scheme (RSE) says the country's trade commissioner.
Va'atu'itu'i Apete Meredith said it was necessary for Samoa to ensure sending seasonal workers to New Zealand and Australia did not become an obstacle to its own economic development.
"Samoa has to take a reality check of how this scheme has been so successful that we need more equity or equitable distribution of the benefits," Va'atu'itu'i said at the RSE conference in Christchurch held this week.
In January this year, the Samoan government temporarily halted sending seasonal workers to New Zealand and Australia to the disappointment of both workers and growers.
One recruiter was concerned growers would look for workers from other Pacific nations.
The suspension was the result of the loss of domestic skilled labour, worker welfare concerns, and social issues such as extra-marital affairs.
"We have had a lot of adverse impacts on the productive sector with our businesses losing some of the skilled workers, but also there has been some adverse impacts slowly creeping into the rural sector as well," Va'atu'itu'i said.
The government was working on a new seasonal worker policy that was meant to be implemented in April of this year.
A government statement earlier in the year said the new policy would address skilled labour issues, working conditions, the period of overseas employment and the observation of social, cultural and moral values.
Va'atu'itu'i said although the completion of the policy by April was the intention, the government decided it was too important to make mistakes and has delayed its release.
He said the policy had been reviewed by Cabinet and was hopeful it would be released to the public in the next few weeks.
"We need it because the season starts again very soon."
Moral failures
Va'atu'itu'i said there had been occasions of young men "playing around" overseas doing seasonal work.
"That does not bode well with the social cohesion, happiness of families, like we all expect our families to be.
"When you see someone in your village, on Facebook or on TikTok, and they are messing around overseas with other partners, and they have a young family at home, they tend to be frowned upon in the village."
However, Va'atu'itu'i said it tended to be difficult to create a policy around social standards when crossing international borders.
New Zealand horticulturist Richard Lenton from Avocado Heaven said the RSE scheme made total business sense.
"I know where we were as an industry pre-RSE and we were struggling and then, since the inception of RSE and 16 years later, you only need to look at the earnings of the industry as a whole and see how they have rocketed, skyrocketed probably," Lenton said.
He has also seen first-hand how the programme has benefitted Pacific workers' communities back in their home countries, he said.
"You see them build houses, establish small businesses, whether it be taxis or loaning money out to other people, all sorts of small businesses, they've taken that whole idea and run with it.
"It's huge for them and not that we've done that for them but we've given them the opportunity, so they can do it for themselves, I think that's the cool thing about it."
Aotearoa reviews scheme
New Zealand was also in the middle of reviewing its policy.
The Employment Opportunities Commissioner late last year likened some treatment of Pacific workers to modern slavery.
However, Mel Mylvaganam from the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment said the scheme was "generally functioning really well".
"All parties consider it a triple win across the horticulture/viticulture industry, workers and the Pacific," Mylvaganam said.
"We did not find that there is widespread exploitation in the scheme. However, collective responsibility of the scheme has eroded over time, which has led to a number of those fractures."
Sam Foley, also from MBIE, said the advice provided to cabinet was the RSE scheme needed more flexibility, transparency, and a more data driven approach when it comes to deciding on worker caps.
