RSE CONFERENCE
RSE a decade of success Te s s a N i c h o l s o n
T
en years on, the RSE scheme in New Zealand has been touted as the most successful labour mobility programme in the world. The scheme celebrated its 10th birthday in July at a conference attended by New Zealand government ministers, members of government agencies, representatives of Pacific governments and RSE employers from throughout the country. Instigated back in 2007, the programme’s aim was to provide seasonal workers from the Pacific for the horticulture and viticulture industries, while also allowing the workers to earn funds and skills to take home. While there was some trepidation at the initial outset that the programme
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would be too difficult to manage, those fears appear to have been unfounded. Dr Manjula Luthria from The World Bank says the RSE scheme has changed the conversation regarding labour mobility programmes, and is now being praised by international bodies. “The ILO (International Labour Organisation) describes your RSE scheme as a model for other countries to follow,” she told the conference, “promoting safe and orderly mobility, respecting the rights of workers and the needs of employers. “It takes a lot for the ILO to say that. It is not a big fan of guest worker programmes.” She then went on to say The World Bank describes RSE as one of the “most effective develop-
NZ WINEGROWER AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2017
ment programmes to ever be evaluated” by the Bank. “This scheme stands out as having delivered development gains that are orders of magnitude about the rest.” When RSE was first introduced, 5000 Pacific Island workers were involved, employed by 65 accredited employers. In 2017 there are 10,500 workers, and the number of employers has more than doubled. Minister of Immigration, Hon. Michael Woodhouse said the growth in a decade has come about because of the dedication and willingness of employers to try something different. “If you think back to 2007, so many of you at that time had fruit rotting on the ground because you didn’t have the workers avail-
able to help prevent that. Not only has the RSE scheme helped to prevent that, but it has led to better quality and more productive workers as well as a more stable workforce for the horticulture and viticulture sectors.” Woodhouse went on to say the scheme had allowed businesses to grow, at a steady rate. “Since 2007, 82 percent of RSE employers have expanded their cultivation schemes, with most agreeing that participation in the RSE scheme was a contributing factor.” That has also led to an increase in the number of Kiwis employed in both horticulture and viticulture he added. Dr Luthria said the success of the scheme has turned many of the negatives surrounding labour mobility programmes, on their head. The thought that you either provide aid or migration but not both was one of those negatives. “You turned that around, you have allowed both aid and migration. This is enormous for those of us who are in the development aid community, it is a first.” The theory that rich countries only need highly skilled workers has also proven to be false as a result of RSE. “You have demonstrated that most economies need workers of all skill levels and you have a found a way to make that work.” And the other theory that has been proven to be false, is if you employ migrant workers, you take jobs away from the local population. Dr Luhtria said the RSE scheme however has resulted in