1. Looking ahead: some questions and challenges
Richard Bedford

2. 1st RSE conference in the islands

3. The RSE success story

4. Seasonal work programmes 2005/6-2014/15
Total visas
Pacific visas
% Pacific
SLP
9,024
569
6.3
RSE
60,050
48,338
80.5
TRSE
4,535
565
12.5
SSE
1,027
109
10.6
RSE VoC
303
261
86.1
Total
74,939
49,842
66.5

5. Seasonal work visas in context 2005/6-2014/15
Area
All temp work visas
All seasonal work visas
% seasonal work
Samoa
23,200
9,990
43.1
Tonga
26,000
12,630
48.6
Vanuatu
22,500
21,980
97.7
Pacific (RSE)
81,600
49,620
60.8
Total Pacific
149,100
49,800
33.4
All countries
1,618,000
74,939
4.6

6. Other Pacific and main Asian suppliers of RSE labour
Area
All temp wk v.
All seas wk v.
% seas.wk
Other Pacific
Solomon Is
4,030
3,140
77.9
Kiribati
2,720
1,000
36.9
Tuvalu
1,990
630
31.7
PNG
950
220
22.8
Main Asia
Thailand
26,920
5,640
21.0
Malaysia
42,240
5,220
12.4
Indonesia
14,900
2,460
16.5

7. Summary 150,000 work visas for PIs approved July 2005-June 2015
Just under 50,000 of these (1/3rd) for seasonal work by PIs
60,000 seasonal work visas approved over decade – 80% to Pacific workers; 20% to Asian workers
The RSE scheme accounted for 80% of all seasonal work visas issued over the decade.

8. Some challenges
“Spreading the love” – managing return rates so that there are opportunities for new workers to ensure continuity of trained labour supply and spread of benefits of work in Pacific communities
“Helping the small players” – recognising that a third of all RSEs employ less than 20 workers each and account for just 4.5% of all recruits. Their needs for additional workers may seem small but they can be as great as those of the big players

9. Challenges cont.
3. Maintaining the “best practice” brand – continuing to show leadership in areas of worker welfare, pastoral care, and capacity building
4. Keeping the human dimension of seasonal work to the fore -- temporary workers have family obligations that may mean they need to take a season or two off work to maximise the benefits of participating in the scheme

10. Shares of workers and average gross earnings by season
Samoans
Tongans
Season
% workers
Average gross $
First
21.5
$19,823
Second
20.3
$21,018
Third
14.6
$21,620
Fourth
12.2
$21,926
Fifth
11.0
$21,366
Sixth
8.5
$21,456
Seventh
7.3
$21,814
Eighth
2.4
$23,784
Ninth
2.0
$23,097
All workers
100.0
$21,207
Season
% workers
Average gross $
First
18.8
$17,453
Second
20.3
$19,147
Third
14.6
$20,384
Fourth
12.2
$20,353
Fifth
11.0
$19,984
Sixth
8.5
$22,323
Seventh
7.3
$22,631
Eighth
2.4
$22,691
Ninth
2.0
$24,810
All workers
100.0
$19,912

11. Shares of workers and average gross earnings by seasonal work experience groups
Samoans
Tongans
Seasons
% workers
Average gross $
1-2 seasons
41.9
$20,402
3-4 seasons
26.8
$21,490
5-6 seasons
19.5
$21,405
7+ seasons
11.8
$22,443
All workers
100.0
$21,207
Seasons
% workers
Average gross $
1-2 seasons
44.8
$18,607
3-4 seasons
27.6
$20,374
5-6 seasons
16.0
$20,629
7+ seasons
11.6
$22,856
All workers
100.0
$19,912

12. What might be a good experience mix (for large employers/recruiters)?
The distribution of workers, by experience, in the survey population, who worked for 20 or more weeks was:
1-2 seasons: Samoans 42% Tongans 45%
3+ seasons: Samoans 58% Tongans 55%
1-4 seasons: Samoans 67% Tongans 74%
5+ seasons: Samoans 33% Tongans 26%
Would notional distributions to aim for by 2020 be:
1-2 seasons: 50%
1-4 seasons: 80%

13. Would a more targeted approach be practical and make a difference?
What are the practical difficulties that might arise from adopting a more targeted approach to recruitment with a view to giving a wider pool of people in the islands an opportunity to access seasonal work in NZ be?
What strategies are growers/contactors already adopting to ensure there is some churn in their workforce with a view to spreading the benefits of seasonal work more widely in the islands?
Is this something employers/contractors should be concerned about or is this just an example of academic wishful thinking?
What do the liaison officers and recruiting agents from the Pacific, who are attending the conference, think?

14. What is the risk of sticking with the status quo?
The RSE is already recognised as a best-practice temporary seasonal work scheme on the international scene.
Gary Jones and Pipfruit NZ want to achieve an “Pacific fair” brand for the RSE to increase the attractiveness of our horticultural and viticulture exports in overseas markets.
Is a conscious attempt to ensure that it is a scheme providing truly temporary seasonal work required to ensure it is perceived as being “Pacific fair”?
Is there a risk it could become a scheme providing mainly permanent seasonal work for a lot of workers and being seen more like an indentured labour scheme?