Two seasonal workers found dead at Bay of Plenty orchard

Police are investigating the deaths of two ni-Vanuatu seasonal workers after their bodies were found at a kiwifruit orchard in Pukehina, Bay of Plenty..

Emergency services were called to a property on Old Coach Road at about 3pm on New Year’s Day after a woman was found dead. Early the following morning, at around 2.10am, police discovered the body of a man in a different house on the same property.

Police say a 50-year-old foreign national has been arrested and is in custody. The NZ Herald reports that the man appeared in the Tauranga District Court on Wednesday charged with assault on a person in a family relationship over the woman’s alleged death.

He did not enter a plea and did not apply for bail. He has been remanded in custody and an interim order continues to suppress his name.

Police say the man’s death is currently being treated as unexplained.

In a statement, Paul Wilson, a Detective Senior Sergeant and the Eastern Bay of Plenty Area Investigations Manager, says police are carrying out enquiries to understand what happened and are asking the public for help.

A 50-year-old man faces charges of assault on a family member. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly. Photo/RNZ/Cole Eastham-Farrelly

Speaking with Stuff, Billy Kueiey Lop, the President of the Ni-Vanuatu Bay of Plenty Association, confirmed the pair are ni-Vanuatu Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme workers. The victims have also been confirmed from Tanna Island in southern Vanuatu.

Lop says the news has deeply affected the local Vanuatu community. A recruitment agency described the workers as "nice", reporting they were well regarded.

The property where the deaths occurred is owned by Gilston Mains Limited. Company records list Bruce and Gillian Cameron, Rikki James, and Andrew Hans Meier as directors.

Tanna is an island in southern Vanuatu. Photo/My Vanuatu

Police are asking anyone who visited the Old Coach Road address between 7pm on Wednesday 31 December 2025 and 3am on Friday 2 January 2026 to contact them:

• Phone: Call 105 and quote reference file number 260101/9901.

• Online: File a report via the 105 website using the same reference number, 260101/9901.

• Anonymously: Contact the Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111.