When I was chairman of RSE, I was interviewed by the World Bank
and they said to me that at the time they saw the RSE scheme
in New Zealand as the best labor mobility program in the world.
It was most enduring and it had the most trust applied to it.
And, and it was benefiting both parties really, really well.
I would like to think that we could still achieve that very high standard,
but it will be different.
We need to understand what the Pacific’s needs are
and then identify how we can support them in those goals.
We started to get under pressure for not finding enough labor.
And so we were discussing with government the opportunity
of developing a Pacific mobility, seasonal labor program.
So we were one of the first in 2005 to start with a team from Samoa.
We saw great potential in Solomona, a very nice guy, great work ethic.
He’s built a fale - a home for his family.
He’s bought a car.
He helps with the education of the rest his family
- his extended family and he supports the community as well.
Every week the workers contribute $10 per week
for the entire time they’re here and New Zealand.
The Poutasi Development Trust was formed by myself
to develop certain things within the
within the village, we've built
an art center, Poutasi Gardens, preschool.
and our primary school,
we have the memorial hall.
That hall has been a godsend.
And one of the important things that we've been able to do
because of the hall is the
seasonal work program that Poutasi Development
Trust is very much involved with.
The stream never ends its every week and today
some of the of those who are interviewed
are desperate for employment, desperate for an opportunity to go away
and earn some some really decent money to support their families,
to build homes, to buy cars, to educate their children
I’ve just derived huge pleasure from seeing the Salmon Nation
get significant benefit from the RSE scheme and that’s ongoing to
and hopefully that will continue in the future.
I think the next ten years
of RSE in New Zealand is going to be quite a challenge.
So we need to really partner with the islands
to understand what each country's needs are
and what system would be most suitable for them
so that we can meet the islanders needs as well as our needs
as employers.
We are gathered here together
to celebrate this community in showing us
the model
of successful engagement in seasonal work.
We have taken a holistic approach by engaging our members
as if they are members of one big Samoan family
money sent and brought home by our teams total
$22.3 million.