Providing pastoral care and accommodation for RSE workers
As a Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE), you must provide support to RSE workers when they arrive here, while they work for you and when their contract ends. You must also provide them with accommodation.
Pastoral care for RSE workers
As an employer in the
Pastoral care is a key requirement to get an Agreement to Recruit (ATR) and maintain RSE status.
Check the guide for details on the support you need to provide:
Supporting RSE workers when they arrive in New Zealand
When the workers first arrive in New Zealand you must:
- arrange for someone to pick them up from the airport
- arrange suitable accommodation — in some regions there are restrictions on the use of residential housing
- provide a work induction programme to help them settle in. For help on what to cover in the induction use these guides.
You must also explain how they can:
- get medical care and use their insurance
- access banking services
- send money home safely.
Supporting RSE workers while they work for you
While RSE workers are working for you, you must provide:
- transport to and from work
- any safety equipment they need to do their job — for example protective clothing
- toilets and somewhere to wash their hands
- first aid, shelter and fresh drinking water
- translations of health and safety instructions
- opportunities for recreation and religious observance.
When an RSE worker's contract ends
When an RSE worker's contract ends you must pay half the airfare to their country of residence and provide transport to the airport.
For a Kiribati or Tuvaluan worker, you must pay half the airfare between New Zealand and Nadi, Fiji.
Accommodation for RSE workers
Restrictions apply if the RSE workers are in:
- Bay of Plenty and Hawke's Bay, or
- Northland, Auckland (including upper Auckland), Marlborough, Nelson and Tasman, and Otago.
No other regions of New Zealand are affected by accommodation restrictions and the restrictions apply only to accommodation you are using for the first time.
If you are not sure where your property is located, check its legal address and council boundaries.
- the house was included in an ATR approved before 26 September 2019, or
- you own the house and bought it on or before 26 September 2019.
- rent a residential house you have not previously used to accommodate RSE workers, or
- buy a residential house after 26 September 2019 to accommodate RSE workers, even if you intend to significantly modify it.
- the house was included in an ATR approved before 26 September 2019, or
- you own it.
RSE workers must not live in a
You cannot:
RSE workers must not live in a
You cannot rent a residential house you have not previously used as accommodation for RSE workers. You can still buy a residential house, but the government expects you to offer purpose-built accommodation to RSE workers as soon as you can.
The type of housing you can offer
Even though you may not be able to use a
- purpose-built seasonal worker accommodation
- converted or re-purposed property converted into seasonal worker accommodation
- house on a commercial orchard or vineyard
- guest accommodation, such as a designated boarding house, motels, homestay or billeting arrangement.
The existing quality guidelines for suitable accommodation assessed by the
Healthy homes — Tenancy Services
Boarding houses — Tenancy Services
Types of tenancies — Tenancy Services