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Resolving labour shortages – Is RSE a step in
the right direction?
Sophia Max, Victoria University, Wellington
A survey of industry participants indicated
there is a very strong reliance on foreigners
to make up the seasonal workforce in the
kiwifruit industry. Seven out of the ten
participants in this survey believed that their
seasonal staffi ng practices would signifi cantly
change under the Recognised Seasonal
Employer (RSE) and fi ve are planning to
recruit staff through the RSE scheme.
Low unemployment and skill shortages
have caused many seasonal employers in
New Zealand to look to foreigners
(backpackers and temporary migrants) to
fi ll their seasonal positions. The New
Zealand Government has recently passed
legislation, the Recognised Seasonal
Employer (RSE) Scheme, which will allow
5000 temporary migrants from the Pacifi c
Islands to work as seasonal labourers to
help alleviate these labour shortages.
This research was focused on gaining an
understanding of employers’ seasonal
staffi ng practices in the kiwifruit industry
and how these employers perceived these
may change under the RSE legislation. This
was broken down into:
1. How are foreigners perceived as
workers?
2. How will the RSE legislation affect
seasonal staffi ng practices?
3. How do different stakeholders in the
kiwifruit industry feel about the new
legislative changes?
Ten participants were recruited and
interviewed from small and large businesses
in the Te Puke area, to glean whether
seasonal staffi ng practices and opinions of
the RSE differ according to the size and
Type of Business Number that participated Applying for RSE Status
Orchardist 3 1
Contractor 2 2
Packhouse (HR Managers) 2 2
Orchardist / Contractor 2 0
Industry Associate 1 N/A
Total 10 5
type of business (see Table 1 for a
breakdown of the participants). The
interviews took place in August 2007.
KEY FINDINGS
THE PERCEPTION OF FOREIGN
WORKERS
Overall it was found that there was a very
strong reliance on foreigners to make up
the seasonal workforce in the kiwifruit
industry. All the participants had used
foreign workers to supplement their
workforce over the peak periods this year
and in the past. The results from the
interviews indicated that backpackers made
up at least 50 per cent of their seasonal
workforce (for harvesting) and were the
most popular type of worker used over this
period. The origins of backpackers ranged
from Japan, Canada and Argentina but the
most prevalent were from Brazil, the Czech
Republic and Western Europe. The majority
of these backpackers were on working
holiday maker visas and many of the others
were on Seasonal Work Permits (SWPs).
Many acknowledged that they now have no
other option but to hire foreign workers due
to low unemployment in the area and
throughout New Zealand. Other participants
noted that they purposely targeted
backpackers and preferred them to local
workers.
The perceptions of backpackers as workers
were overall very positive. A typical
comment was that they are “reliable, smart,
university qualifi ed, willing workers, keen to
learn and listen…” One participant indicated
that backpackers were a lot less hassle to
manage compared to migrant workers,
under the strict requirements of the
Approval in Principle and RSE legislation.
The only disadvantages that participants
saw with hiring backpackers was that they
“stayed only for the season.”
The major benefi t that employers associated
with hiring migrant workers is that they are
a stable and committed workforce. There
was no consensus from participants on
how Pacifi c Islanders were viewed as
workers. Three interviewees (growers and
contractors) believed that they were
unreliable and their work ethic was
completely different to New Zealanders.
While others (fi ve participants) believed
that they “had good ethics [and] strong
values…” and were not motivated solely by
money. Two participants had heard “mixed