The New Zealand Labour Department says the new Recognised Seasonal Employers Agreement should help safeguard some Pacific workers from dodgy middle men.
The Recognised Seasonal Employers scheme involves five thousand workers from four Pacific countries, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Solomon Islands and Samoa to work in horticulture and viticulture farms in New Zealand for six to seven months.
The Project Leader for the Recognised Employers Scheme, Tofilau Tevita, says one of the objectives of the scheme is being able to ensure that people who are considered cowboys within the industry or those who have been operating under the radar are able to be held accountable.
"they won't be able to recruit offshore unless they are properly accredited under the accreditation process lead by the department of Labour as an RSE employer, a recognised seasonal employer. That was very much the expectation of the government that this is about being able to assist the industry and getting rid of people who practice that way."
Mr Tevita says employers must meet strict requirements if they are to be involved in the RSE scheme.
