At the end of July, New Zealand’s Immigration Minister Erica Stanford took the stage at the annual Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) conference to announce a series of scheme changes. The RSE scheme, launched in 2007, lets New Zealand horticulture and viticulture employers recruit workers from nine Pacific Island and seven Asian countries for seasonal jobs (planting, maintaining, harvesting and packing) when there are not enough New Zealanders available. The reforms — which are the result of a sporadic, multi-year policy review — were framed as practical housekeeping. The RSE scheme “has been a standout success for nearly 20 years”, stated the Minister, but over time the rules have become “complicated and burdensome”.
The reforms are focused largely on streamlining processes for RSE employers and providing better worker protections, and will be implemented from early 2027 to 2029. On the employer side, accreditation will become graduated: new employers will receive a one-year term, extending to three- or six-year terms with a good compliance record. The Agreement to Recruit (ATR) process will be quicker and easier for employers who have Ministry of Social Development endorsement for ensuring New Zealanders remain prioritised for seasonal jobs, and compliance will be more targeted, with proportionate responses to non-compliance. The tasks permissible under RSE work will also be broadened (for example, machinery operation) where this supports the worker’s primary roles of...
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