Rules surrounding permits for seasonal work in New Zealand are being relaxed in anticipation of a new scheme coming into force in April.

The Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) policy will allow horticulture and viticulture employers in New Zealand to recruit workers from the Pacific. Under the scheme, up to 5,000 Pacific Islanders a year will be able to do temporary work in the horticulture sector.

Social development and employment minister David Benson-Pope said there was a need to ease restrictions as the scheme was rolled out, and that employers needed to meet immediate labour requirements.

In response, New Zealand’s government was allowing both new and current holders of seasonal work permits to apply for a permit until September 30; and expanding the pool of workers eligible for a seasonal work permit by allowing visa-required people who were in the country on February to apply, a date that was previously September 15, 2006. Employers who want to recruit offshore after September 30 must do so under the RSE policy.

“Employers would be encouraged to build relationships with groups of workers who could apply to work in the country year after year, thereby increasing skills and productivity,” said Benson-Pope.

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