Not even the persistent rain could dampen the spirit at Blake Park on Saturday, as hundreds of Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme workers from across the Bay of Plenty region came together for the 2025 RSE Sports Festival in Mount Maunganui.
The day kicked off with a vibrant welcoming ceremony, introducing teams before they hit the fields to compete in a variety of sports, including football, volleyball, and rugby.
This year's event saw a leap in participation, with up to 16 packhouses and orchards represented, up from 11 in the festival's inaugural year.
But at the heart of the event was recognition and appreciation.
RSE Zespri workers. Photo: RNZ Pacific / Iliesa Tora
"Today, we're here to celebrate and honour the RSE community," Zespri's Global public affairs co-ordinator said Michael Fox said.
"They help us do our job and create a lot of value for New Zealand… so we want to take the opportunity to celebrate them today.
"One of the cool things about the kiwifruit industry is it brings people together from around the world… what we saw before with the hymn and the different nationalities, and everyone bringing their own culture and identity to the day, it's just cool to bring everyone together and celebrate the community."
He added that the RSE workforce is essential to the industry's success.
"We saw a few years ago, when there was a labour shortage, just how critical the RSE community is… we can't... we won't succeed without them."
Kiribati RSE workers. Photo: RNZ Pacific / Iliesa Tora
Over at MPAC (Mount Pack and Cool), pastoral care worker Lisa said the day was about unity through sport.
"Today is very important, to bring all our beautiful island communities together and come as one and entertain with sports," she said.
MPAC teams came out in full force, competing across volleyball, soccer, and rugby sevens, with wide representation from Kiribati, Fiji, and Vanuatu.
"We had a ladies team for the first year in volleyball, and we had a men's team… our Vanuatu team for volleyball, and our Kiribati men's for soccer, and our Fiji boys for the rugby sevens," Lisa said.
She also shared sentiments to the critical role RSE workers play across the industry.
"The RSE workers are extremely important…they help us drive our economy in horticulture. And really, we couldn't do it without our Pacific brothers and sisters."
For MPAC RSE worker and team leader Luisa, who's now in her fourth season, the event recongnises the variety of those involved in RSE work.
"I'm a team leader… it's nice, we explore and enjoy other cultures… I enjoy working… and it's really important for our families back home. To work for them, earn money for them," she said.
Zespri's Rachel Lynch earlier said backing the RSE Sports Festival is a no-brainer.
It's a celebration of the workforce that keeps the industry going.
"The work carried out across Bay of Plenty orchards this season has been monumental, with more than 200 million trays of New Zealand fruit picked, packed and heading offshore," said Lynch, who is Zespri's Local Government and Community Affairs Manager.
"It wouldn't be possible without our RSE workforce. This festival is about celebrating them and showing our appreciation for everything they do."
RSE sports day touch rugby winners. Photo: RNZ Pacific / Iliesa Tora
Pam Tod, RSE manager at Trevelyan's Pack and Cool, believed the day was delivered on every front.
"We've had a lovely day today, apart from the rain and the mud, but it's been a really great day," she said.
"Everybody's in really good spirits. There's been really nice sportsmanship."
Trevelyan's workers, mostly from Samoa, dominated the day, taking out top honours in both volleyball and touch rugby.
"They've been training really hard... they've been in really good spirits now that we've won both of those competitions," Tod laughed.
She added the victories were just part of a much bigger picture.
"The whole horticulture industry couldn't survive without RSE workers. Without these guys, there just wouldn't be the export, the success of New Zealand," she said.
