Working together for a better life: Contemporary ni-Vanuatu labour mobility in New Zealand

In 2007 New Zealand introduced the Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme (RSE), which allows growers to recruit workers from Pacific Island states for New Zealand’s horticulture and viticulture sectors. The New Zealand government oversees the scheme, and workers are hired from the Pacific region through either direct or indirect recruitment methods, such as through Pacific government work ready pools or through direct-contact links with communities. Although this scheme is expected to prioritise New Zealand workers, it also allows New Zealand employers in these industries to recruit up to 9,500 workers a year from the Pacific Islands. The RSE was an industry-led initiative to provide New Zealand growers with reliable labour; at the same time, New Zealand government officials promoted it as a pathway for encouraging economic development in the Pacific region. Since 2007 I have conducted ethnographic research in Central Otago, New Zealand, and Ambrym Island in Vanuatu, documenting the experiences of employers and workers participating in labour mobility schemes.