The scheme was first introduced in 2007, and since then we have welcomed over 165,000 workers through this scheme, with many of those workers coming from our neighbouring Pacific nations. There are currently nearly 200 Recognised Seasonal Employers across New Zealand, and for the 2024/25 season 20,750 RSE workers will be able to come to New Zealand.

T&G Global (Turners and Growers) are one of those Recognised Seasonal Employers and have been hiring workers via the RSE scheme since its inception in 2007, where they first welcomed 24 workers from the Solomon Islands. This year they have over 800 RSE team members working across the peak harvest period. T&G recently held a pōwhiri at Kohupātiki Marae in Clive to welcome many of their Hawke’s Bay RSE team members from the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Samoa and Papua New Guinea.

Heather Kean, T&G’s Director People & Culture says, “This is the third year that T&G have held a pōwhiri for our Hawke’s Bay RSE workers and it has become a really special occasion where we welcome our RSE team members to our business, Hawke’s Bay and Aotearoa New Zealand as a whole, and strengthen their ties to mana whenua. This cultural exchange is a wonderful way to start the busy apple harvest.”

“The nature of horticulture work is that it’s often seasonal and it’s based in the regions, and at certain times of the season there may not be enough people locally to fill all the vacancies. Working alongside our local team, our RSE teams help us plant, maintain, harvest and pack our crops at the optimal time, providing consumers around the world with high-quality fresh produce. The scheme has also provided us with the certainty and scale to invest in the expansion and growth of our business, enabling us to employ more New Zealanders” says Heather.

The RSE scheme is important to RSE workers and their livelihoods, the Pacific and our horticulture and viticulture industries, and there is a long and proud history through the scheme in New Zealand.

“We’re incredibly proud to be part of the RSE scheme. Our RSE team members are very much part of our T&G whānau and their skills, productivity, personalities and cultures help strengthen our business. The scheme is vital to the viability and growth of Aotearoa New Zealand’s horticulture sector, and it’s equally as important to the economic growth of the Pacific, with workers’ skills, knowledge and earnings benefiting their families, communities and nations,” says Heather.

You can read more about the RSE scheme on our website:

Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme