Twenty Tongan seasonal workers will leave for New Zealand on July 20, the first group of what Tonga's Minister of Labour hopes will amount to 600 to 700 workers joining the new RSE scheme this year.

Ten men from Lapaha and 10 men from Kolovai, aged between 21 and 37 years, have been contracted to Vinepower Ltd. of Blenheim in the north of New Zealand's South Island.

Jono Bushell, a director of Vinepower Ltd., said that the tasks for the Tongan workers will be trimming, stripping and pruning of vineyards. Jono said that as a Viticulture Contractor, they hire out workers to the viticulture industry in the Marlborough area. At the peak of their operation they can have about 200 employees. Jono looks forward to hiring another group of Tongan workers for the summer. "I would like to establish a good working relationship with these two villages, where I can always get my core workers."

Tonga's Minister for Labour Commerce and Industries, Hon. Lisiate 'Akolo said in a Press Conference yesterday that the Tongan workers are contracted to Vinepower Ltd. for five to seven months, "starting from at the end of the month."

Under the working contract half of a return airfare for the workers would be paid by the company. All other expenses such as, visas, clothing, accommodation and food will be paid for by the workers. Jono said that they have renovated an old motel ready for when the Tongan workers arrive on July 20. The accommodation will cost each worker $100 a week, inclusive of electricity, water and accommodation, and they have to buy their own food.

Jono said that the weekly take-home per worker could be as high as $1,000, for a 45-hour working week.

The New Zealand Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) policy for all Pacific Forum Countries, excepting Fiji, has been in the pipeline for more than two years. The implementation stage took a little while to formalise, deciding on how the workers and the employers are selected.

Lisiate said that initially the project was set to start in September but then last week Vinepower made contact and said that they wanted to start, "so this is the first group of workers from the Pacific islands under the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) policy."

Vinepower Ltd. was one of the first three New Zealand companies to be granted an Agreement to Recruit (ATR) two weeks ago. They were among nine New Zealand companies that have been granted a RSE status. Meanwhile, 16 applications are still being processed. Tonga hopes to be able to send 600 to 700 workers to New Zealand this year.