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Remote island home no barrier to horticulture hiring From her home on a remote Pacific island, Ashlyne Kauha used the online hiring tool, PICMI, to apply for and receive instant confirmation of her appointment to a horticulture role in New Zealand – becoming the first woman to do so.
The first woman to receive instant online employment confirmation, Ashlyne Kauha displays the email confirming her appointment
Elaine Fisher “Ashlyne was so proud of what she had achieved, she posted photos of herself in her national costume showing the email which confirmed her seasonal role with the Reekie Family Trust in Te Puke,” says PICMI co-founder, Genevieve Griffin-George. Ashlyne, from the remote island of Tanna in Vanuatu, previously would have had to take a three-day trip to Port Vila to apply for the job. She has since gone on to help others in her village apply for and gain work through the PICMI system. Ashlyne’s success began with an inquiry from Michelle Reekie of the Reekie Family Trust, asking if the same PICMI technology she used to hire staff in New Zealand could also work on an island in the Pacific. “We said yes it could and set about making it happen,” says Genevieve. Michelle sent Ashlyne an email with a link inviting her to apply for the job. Ashlyne opened the link and then filled out the information required, reviewed the contract, and signed an agreement to work for the Reekie Family Trust. She was also able to securely share her personal details with her employer. Once the contract was digitally signed, Ashlyne received confirmation of her appointment to the role. “We had been communicating with Ashlyne via Facebook and were so excited when she completed the process and got the job,” says Genevieve. As contracts signed through PICMI meet all the requirements of New Zealand employment law, the Reekie Family Trust 26
The ORCHARDIST : MARCH 2022
was able to use Ashlyne’s contract and those of others who accepted jobs, to start the visa application process earlier than usual. The first team of eight from Vanuatu began working at its Te Puke orchards before Christmas. By contrast, many Vanuatu Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme (RSE) job seekers add weeks to their application process because they must travel from their islands to the capital, Port Vila, to complete forms and medical checks. Employers must also wait and constantly check progress before starting the visa application process. Genevieve says using PICMI to confirm employment is life changing for RSE workers in the Pacific. The tool dramatically reduces the time, travel and expense previously involved in applying for work. “Covid has been very hard for them and the time and money previously required to apply for work has added to that,” Genevieve says. “PICMI is helping speed up the process and reduce stress.” Michelle says processing documentation through the right people in the right order is difficult and time-consuming. “Doing it digitally skips all the unnecessary duplication that costs time and money. In our case, going direct means we don’t send documents to an agent who passes them to the Vanuatu labour services which make duplicates and then require our prospective workers to travel from outer Islands to sign the documents and then return the documents with a signature back to us.