Charlotte Bedford
2 February, 2021, 7:00 pm
Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) participants work in the vines farm in Central Otago, New Zealand. Picture: SUPPLIED/Killy Daniel
ON November 27 2020, the New Zealand Government announced the first major border exception for foreign workers since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and closure of the international border in March 2020.
Two thousand experienced Pacific seasonal workers can enter New Zealand between January and March 2021 under the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme to assist with the summer harvest in the horticulture and wine growing sectors. The announcement followed months of lobbying by the industry.
For RSE employers wishing to secure workers under the border exception, the costs are significant.
Tari township
Photo: RNZ Pacific / Koroi Hawkins
The focal point of fighting is Tari-Pori, the district whose MP is PNG s prime minister James Marape.
The newspaper The National reports that a land dispute last week in the Tagali area lapsed into a violent confrontation.
After it resulted in a man being shot dead, fighting escalated between different branches of one tribe, killing ten people in the space of two days.
EMTV reports that over a thousand people have left their villages to seek shelter in schools or other public facilities in fear of more violence.
Close contacts of Solomons Covid-19 community case test negative
Kiwifruit growers build their own village in Hawke s Bay
26 Jan, 2021 09:23 PM
5 minutes to read
Hawkes Bay Today
John and Wendy Evans live and breathe their family-operated business growing kiwifruit, apples and pears in Twyford, north-west of Hastings.
Located on the Heretaunga Plains, the pair look after 80 hectares of land across their two respective family properties within 5km of each other. Being on the land is a bit like bringing up a family – it s a 24/7 occupation, John said.
He oversees the operations, and Wendy manages its compliance and administration. Managing the growing system on-site, they have a controlled atmosphere cool storage and packhouse, and their fruit is stocked in both New Zealand supermarkets and internationally.
New Zealand: Tough season for struggling Otago orchards
It has been a tough season for Otago growers, with Covid-19 border restrictions hampering the crucial supply of overseas workers. Now, to make matters worse, a deluge hit during the peak cherry harvest.
Co-owner John Preedy from Ettrick Gardens is in for a hard time as the students he employs are heading home. Preedy is worried there will be no one around to harvest apples and other autumnal fruit. The loss of the backpackers and not having my summer RSE (Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme) workers. that s really where we re going to feel it, Preedy said. Normally the backpackers finish cherries and then they re looking for things to do before the main apples start, and we can fill a few gaps there and it works out quite well, but not now.