RSE Scheme in the news

The Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme has evolved a lot in the past 15 years, but there is room improvement and no tolerance for unethical employers who put workers’ wellbeing at risk, say Tanya Pouwhare and Marcus Pickens who represent the majority of the region’s horticulture labour contractors and local wine industry members…

The Marlborough community is justifiably outraged by recent media stories relating to some RSE employees in our community. A Labour Inspectorate investigation is underway, and we await the results. If any of the recent allegations are upheld, we should all be concerned.

It is critical to everyone that the RSE scheme ensures the win-wins it was set up to achieve are strengthened for the workers, businesses and communities involved. We fully support the move to push ahead with a review of the RSE scheme.

The RSE scheme started in April 2007 and is as important to the Marlborough wine industry as the first plantings 49 years ago this month. Wine would not account for 20% of Marlborough’s GDP or one in five local jobs, without the 3,000 RSE employees from nine Pacific nations supplementing our local workforce every year.

For RSE employees, the scheme makes a direct contribution to the economic wellbeing of participating households and communities in the island nations. The flow on effect supports improved standards of living including housing, community facilities, and the skills transfer in the countries we are privileged to receive people from.

NZ Ethical Employers was launched in 2021 and is gaining momentum across New Zealand. It’s a voluntary organisation founded on UN principles for businesses to safeguard human rights to which all NZEE members must adhere to and are audited against, including the 95% of Marlborough viticulture labour contractors who are members.

Wine Marlborough represents the region’s wine companies and grape growers and has been closely involved with RSE governance for the region.

It is important to us that our community is assured that employment and accommodation requirements meet Government standards and are an integral part of the RSE scheme. RSE accreditation requires evidence of pastoral care, health and safety standards, minimum pay rates, and a statutory declaration of no prior breach of employment law.

As part of the scheme all accommodation must be warm and dry, fully furnished and endorsed by the Labour Inspectorate. All RSE employees are guaranteed a minimum of 30 hours every week at $22.10 an hour or $663 a week, even if the weather prevents them from working. Our industry acknowledges the high productivity of RSE employees and that they deserve every dollar of the $29.23 an hour earned, on average, in Marlborough’s last pruning season.

A lot of contractors go well beyond what is required. The majority of RSE workers are accommodated in purpose-built housing and cleaners, electricity, gas, linen and wifi are provided in the weekly board. Many travel to Pacific nations to assist their workers to establish off-season businesses for their families or communities.

The World Bank has described the RSE scheme as a world leader and many RSE employees choose to return to Marlborough here year after year, but we know we can make the scheme better. Fifteen years on we need to make sure the RSE scheme evolves and reflects the original intention to protect the people who travel to Marlborough and other regions to keep our respective industries and communities growing.

Tanya Pouwhare is CEO of NZ Ethical Employers representing most Marlborough grape labour contractors; Marcus Pickens is GM of Wine Marlborough.

If you have a concern about the treatment of Marlborough RSE workers you can ring the Labour Inspectorate via MBIE’s Helpline 0800 209 020 or contact NZ Ethical Employers or Wine Marlborough