23 Samoans have been selected under New Zealand's Recognised Seasonal Employer work scheme, or RSE.
The chief executive officer of the Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet who deals with the selection of workers, Auseuga'efa Va'asatia Poloma Komiti, says the first group has been in a familiarisation seminar before they leave.
Under the RSE scheme up to 5,000 workers will be allowed into New Zealand for short-term employment.
The other countries involved in the scheme are Vanuatu, Tonga, Tuvalu and Kiribati.
The first group of seasonal workers from Samoa includes some who had been asked to return by companies who had employed them under earlier schemes.
