Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme research
The Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme allows the horticulture and viticulture industries to recruit workers from overseas for seasonal work when there are not enough New Zealand workers. Find research that relates to the RSE scheme.
There is an administrative limit or cap on the number of RSE places that can be taken up in any one year. This cap was set at 5,000 places when the scheme was established in 2007, but the success of RSE has led to increased demand from employers and the cap was set at:
- 8,000 places in 2009
- 9,000 in November 2014
- 9,500 in December 2015
- 10,500 in December 2016
- 11,100 in December 2017
- 12,850 in November 2018
- 14,400 in October 2019
- 14,400 for 2020/21
- 16,000 for 2021/22
- 19,000 for 2022/23
- 20,750 for 2024/25.
Unless employers can show they have pre-established relationships with workers from other countries, they may only recruit workers under RSE policy from the following eligible Pacific countries:
- the Federated States of Micronesia
- Fiji
- Kiribati
- Nauru
- Palau
- Papua New Guinea
- the Republic of Marshall Islands
- Samoa
- Solomon Islands
- Timor-Leste
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- Vanuatu
Workers must meet health and character requirements and provide evidence of arrangements to leave New Zealand at the end of their stay.
People employed under the RSE policy may stay in New Zealand for up to 7 months during any 11-month period. Exceptions to this are workers from Tuvalu and Kiribati, who can stay for 9 months because of the distance from New Zealand and the cost of travel.
Employer surveys