NZ warns Tonga over 24 RSE runaways [1]
Friday, July 1, 2011 - 10:31. Updated on Monday, September 9, 2013 - 18:40.
Tonga's Minister of Labour has been warned by New Zealand officials that the number of RSE runaways in New Zealand must be reduced soon or Tonga may not be able to send seasonal workers in future.
Currently Tonga has 24 workers remaining illegally in New Zealand under the Recognised Seasonal Employers Scheme (RSE). About 1000 Tongans have participated in the scheme over the last year.
Tonga's Minister of Labour, Commerce and Small Industries, Hon Lisiate 'Akolo, told Tonga's Parliament on June 27 that Tonga had the highest number of illegal runaways in the three Pacific Islands under the RSE scheme, with Tonga at 24 compared to only two each reported from Vanuatu and Samoa and one from Kiribati.
He told parliament that New Zealand had warned Tonga over the rising number of RSE Tongan overstayers. The Minister said he had travelled to New Zealand with the Labour CEO and its Head of Employment Unit on a trip funded by New Zealand because the New Zealand government was gravely concerned over the increasing number of Tongan runaways.
"We had a comprehensive meeting with New Zealand officials and it gets to a point where they told us if Tonga disregards this matter, it is likely that New Zealand would consider removing Tonga from recipient countries."
In an ongoing effort to solve the problem an agreement was reached in April between Tonga's Ministry of Labour and the NZ Department of Labour requiring Tonga's counterpart to reduce the number of Tongan overstayers by 50 percent by December, he said.
Hon. 'Akolo pleaded to members of parliament and the Tongan public to help each other in efforts to bring back these overstayers by the end of the year.
It is understood that for the 2010-11 RSE season Tongan would have sent over 1,000 seasonal workers to New Zealand.
Labour department
The Head of the RSE Policy at the New Zealand Department of Labour, Stephen Dunstan, told Matangi Tonga Online on June 30, that approximately 518 Tongan workers are currently in New Zealand under the RSE, as of June 27.
He said RSE works on a financial year of July 1 to June 30 and the risk of any worker breaching their visa conditions by remaining unlawfully in New Zealand may have a negative impact on the willingness of New Zealand employers to recruit from the country involved.
He clarified that RSE employers are required to pay the Department of Labour any costs incurred by the Department to a maximum of NZ$3,000 per worker for repatriation as a result of breach of visa terms and conditions.
"The New Zealand Department of Labour will continue to work cooperatively with Tonga's Ministry of Labour, Commerce and Industries to maintain the integrity of RSE policy and to ensure Tonga's labour force complies with relevant laws and rules of RSE policy," he said.
Recruitment
Tongan workers are recruited for different work, including planting, maintaining, harvesting or packing of crops and their return to Tonga varys depending on the crops and different regions. RSE workers from Tonga can be employed up to seven months annually.
The number recruited will depend on the industry labour requirements and the number of New Zealand workers available, Mr Dusntan said.
RSE enables New Zealand horticulture and viticulture employers to recruit overseas workers with preference given to eligible Pacific countries including the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Tonga.