Labour Mobility

The Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme is the primary vehicle through which New Zealand offers labour mobility opportunities to Pacific countries. Through temporary employment in New Zealand, Pacific workers can earn higher incomes and remit these earnings back to their communities in the Pacific. These earnings help to achieve workers’ financial goals, including paying school fees, investing in community projects, building houses and starting businesses back home.

The Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme

Since it began in 2007, the RSE scheme has enabled employers in the horticulture and viticulture sectors to recruit an annually capped number of seasonal workers from eligible Pacific countries to plant, maintain, harvest, or pack crops. The RSE scheme has been a key factor in expanding our horticulture and viticulture industries and maximising exports of these industries. Pacific RSE workers in New Zealand remit earnings, benefiting their communities.

The Pacific countries eligible for recruitment under the RSE scheme are: Fiji; Kiribati; Nauru; Papua New Guinea; Samoa; Solomon Islands; Tonga; Tuvalu; Vanuatu; and soon Timor-Leste. The RSE scheme also allows for recruitment from South East Asian historical participating countries in exceptional circumstances with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s (MBIE) agreement.

Under the scheme, RSE workers come to New Zealand for either 7 or 9 months in any 11-month period, and return home between seasons. 

The cap on RSE worker numbers increased by 1,200 places to 20,750 for the 2024/25 season (see the media release(external link) for more information).

The RSE Policy Review

MBIE undertook a review of RSE policy in 2023. The policy review had a twofold objective: Sustainable long-term administrative settings that work effectively for the government and employers; and a scheme that respects RSE workers, and upholds their rights and dignity through an improved set of policies and guidelines, backed by consistent and ethical employment practices. Read more about the RSE policy review on MBIE’s website here(external link).

Further information on the RSE Scheme

For more information about the RSE Scheme, please see the following links:

• Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Scheme - Immigration New Zealand(external link)
• Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Scheme research - Immigration New Zealand(external link)
• Recognised Seasonal Employer Limited Visa: Visa details - Immigration New Zealand(external link)

New Zealand’s Next Generation Approach to Labour Mobility

New Zealand has a set of principles underpinning our next generation labour mobility approach for the Pacific, which were endorsed at the 2022 Pacific Labour Mobility Annual Meeting:

• labour mobility opportunities aligned to Pacific development priorities;
• emphasis on skills and training;
• circular opportunities supported by effective reintegration;
• centrality of worker health and well-being;
• maximising the benefits and mitigating negative impacts on communities; and
• collective regional responsibility: all Pacific partners, including New Zealand, hold collective responsibility for achieving long-term economic and social resilience through labour mobility.

International Development Cooperation (IDC) Funded Labour Mobility Programmes

Strengthening Pacific Labour Mobility (SPLM) Programme

The Strengthening Pacific Labour Mobility (SPLM) programme is the primary way New Zealand supports Pacific labour sending countries to maximise the benefits of labour mobility. It seeks to increase social and economic well-being and resilience across the Pacific through relevant, effective and enhanced circular labour mobility participation.  

Between 2024-2029, enhanced support will be provided directly to Pacific governments so partners can shape the outcomes they seek from participation in New Zealand labour mobility schemes. New outputs include: support to ensure more equitable recruitment and sharing of benefits; increased funding for Liaison Officers; streamlining processes to reduce the burden on labour sending units; more effective pre-departure training mitigating impacts on families that remain at home; more effective reintegration to maximise the skills and experience obtained; and the need for good practice information sharing and research on the impacts of labour mobility both at the Pacific and labour receiving ends.

RSE Worker Training Programme 

The RSE Worker Training Programme provides opportunities for Pacific RSE workers to access skills training while in New Zealand. It supports workers to maximise the benefits of participation in the RSE scheme and offers opportunities to develop skills that support reintegration back home. The RSE Worker Training Programme offers courses for RSE workers ranging from an introductory essential learning course (which covers building digital capability, healthy living, financial capability, sexual health, and human rights) to courses covering money matters, small business development, leadership, compost toilets, building concepts, and other practical courses. Courses are offered in most regions where RSE workers are based.

Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) Plus and the Arrangement on Labour Mobility

The PACER Plus Agreement recognises labour mobility as a vital trade initiative between Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Island Countries, delivering shared economic benefits across the region. The Arrangement on Labour Mobility is formulated to strengthen Pacific labour mobility cooperation between PACER Plus Participants. See an overview of the PACER Plus Agreement here(external link).

The Arrangement on Labour Mobility is predominantly concerned with labour markets of labour-sending countries to develop workers’ skills, and is closely correlated with the PACER Plus Agreement, where Chapters are in place for Movement of Natural Persons and more focused on the mobility of formally trained or qualified labour and business-related travel and employment. Key elements of the Arrangement include:

• enhancing existing labour mobility schemes and exploring new opportunities;
• supporting institutions that manage labour mobility;
• promoting and improving current visa categories;
• tertiary vocational education and training; and
• improving recognition of qualifications and registration of occupations.

The Pacific Labour Mobility Annual Meeting (PLMAM) was established under the Arrangement on Labour Mobility. PLMAM is the pre-eminent inclusive forum in the Pacific region for progressing labour mobility cooperation and enables the free exchange of ideas and insights between attendees. The first PLMAM was held in 2017 and the meeting is held annually.

‘Voices of the Pacific’ – RSE Workers Share Their Stories

Watch RSE workers share their experiences of working in New Zealand: Voices of the Pacific videos by Horticulture New Zealand and the Pacific Cooperation Foundation.