Tongan RSE workers thrive in Hawke’s Bay after cyclone disaster

Hundreds of Tongans are working in Hawke's Bay under the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme, two years after Cyclone Gabrielle left them stranded.

A Tongan government official says around 1800 workers are engaged in pruning and harvesting apples and grapes, reflecting a 200-person increase compared to last year. The workers will continue their efforts until September, with more workers expected to arrive in Aotearoa in October for fruit thinning, including apples, pears and nectarines.

Tevita Niulata, Tonga’s RSE Liaison Officer based in Hastings, recounts the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle, which flooded the region in February 2023, and many Tongan fruit pickers seeking refuge on rooftops before being airlifted to safety.

“This [was] the hardest time for me, being at the job,” Niulata told PMN News. “The Civil Defence Committee was not allowed to travel from Hastings to Napier. Most of our workers were in the Napier area.”

As the Tongan government Liaison Officer for Hawke’s Bay since 2008, Niulata oversees the region from Hawke’s Bay down to Wellington. He says Tonga aims to prioritise quality over quantity in its labour force, reducing previous annual peaks of 2400 workers between 2008 and 2010.

Niulata acknowledges the complexities surrounding the RSE scheme, noting the brain drain occurring in the islands as Pacific nations lose a major portion of their labour force to New Zealand and Australia. He says that while this is a business concern, it’s important to understand that Pacific people, especially those facing economic hardship, seek better financial opportunities abroad.

“Here in New Zealand, the minimum rate is NZ$23. For RSE workers here for three years, they're going to $25. In Tonga, there is no minimum [rate]. That's why it's very common in the Pacific countries. They always look to New Zealand or Australia.”

But RSE workers also gain valuable skills and insights while working in Aotearoa. Niulata adds that they have an integration programme to improve workers’ financial skills and foster innovation.

Niulata says that because the agricultural practices differ between Aotearoa and Tonga, the skills that workers bring back home tend to focus less on horticulture and more on learned procedures and infrastructure improvements.

Watch Tevita Niulata’s full interview below.

“Like building a better house, having a better vehicle. Some of our workers go back home after five years and start building their own business.”

Tonga also employed four liaison officers for New Zealand, three men and one woman, the latter recruited earlier this year to increase the number of women in the sector.”

Niulata encourages workers to maintain connections with their communities while striving for economic progress.

“What we’re trying to promote in RSE [is] to come and work hard, earning money for their family and be close with the Tongan community. Not only the Tongans, the Sāmoans, the community in Hawke’s Bay.”