1. Pacific Remittances and the Remittance Pilot Project

2. Remittances Help reduce the scale and severity of poverty Support improved human development outcomes Globally worth US$580 Billion; and US$470 million to the Pacific region in 2014 (WB, 2015)

3. Remittances as a share of GDP in Pacific

4. Transaction Cost of Remittances Increasing cost of remittances means RSE workers are losing more from their take- home earnings 7.7% - global average cost (WB, 2015) 9.23% - average cost from NZ to the Pacific (Statistics NZ, 2014)

5. The Remittance Pilot Project “Provide baseline evidence on economic benefits of the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) policy and its role in assisting development in RSE sending states”

6. Remittance Pilot Project – Implementation Capturing earnings and remittance data from 600 Samoan and Tongan RSE workers Qualitative surveying of 550 RSE workers Massey University engaged to support analysis and reporting

7. Remittance Pilot Project – Outcomes Options for reducing the cost of remittances Work with banks and MTOs Training and capacity development Work with existing programmes (Vakameasina) Report due later in the year

8. For more information about the Remittance Pilot Project, please contact Pip Jamieson (pip.jamieson@mbie.govt.nz orpip.jamieson@mbie.govt.nz Ph: +64(0)39892956) Thank You