1. RSE: the ghosts of schemes past, present and yet to come
Richard Whatman, Charlotte Bedford and
Richard Bedford

2. The RSE system

3. A scheme for a Pacific world

4. RSE source countries Pacific Asia Country 2007/08 2011/12 2015/16 Fiji92
Kiribati 69
142
162
Nauru 20
PNG 6 68
Samoa
647
1162
1454
Solomons
238
407
590
Tonga
805
1398
1687
Tuvalu 99 88 64
Vanuatu
1698
2412
3726
Total Pacific
3556
5615
7863
Country
2007/08
2011/12
2015/16
India 41 15 35
Indonesia
249
299
321
Malaysia
364
317
335
Philippines 80 74 67
Taiwan 31 20
Thailand
195
658
637
Total Asia
929
1394
1415

5. RSE throughout New Zealand

6. RSE conference

7. The RSE system

8. A trans-Tasman perspective
By June 30 around 16,000 workers will have arrived during the last financial year to take up seasonal employment under the RSE and SWP schemes.
14,000 (88 percent) of these workers will have come from 9 Pacific countries, and 11,000 (68 percent) of them from two countries: Tonga and Vanuatu.
86 percent of them will have been males, and 80 percent of the males will have been aged between years.

9. Shares of males aged 20-39 years
2016/17
2020/21
Country
SWP
RSE
Combined
Fiji
0.11
0.19
0.30
Kiribati
0.25
0.47
0.71
Nauru
1.32
0.87
2.19
PNG
0.01
0.004
Samoa
0.86
4.53
5.39
Solomons
0.14
0.44
Timor Leste
0.18
0.00
Tonga
14.05
9.35
23.40
Tuvalu
1.37
2.74
4.11
Vanuatu
2.64
5.96
8.60
Total
0.23
0.33
0.55
Country
SWP
RSE
Combined
Fiji
0.26
0.22
0.48
Kiribati
0.55
1.03
Nauru
3.29
1.01
4.30
PNG
0.02
0.005
0.03
Samoa
2.05
5.05
7.10
Solomons
0.34
0.33
0.67
Timor Leste
0.40
0.00
Tonga
34.94
10.85
45.80
Tuvalu
3.07
2.88
5.95
Vanuatu
5.91
6.23
12.15
Total
0.53
0.36
0.89

10. Some sustainability questions
Heavy reliance of SWP on Tonga – 47% of seasonal workers in 2016/17 (28% from Vanuatu, growing)
Heavy reliance of RSE on Vanuatu – 44% of seasonal workers in 2016/17 (21% each from Tonga and Samoa, stable)
23% of Tonga’s males years employed by SWP and RSE in 2016/17 – could be 47% by 2020/21. Sustainable?
9% of Vanuatu’s males yrs employed by SWP and RSE in 2016/17 – could be 12% by 2020/21. Sustainable?
Seasonal work only one overseas option for males years. What are sustainable rates for different Pacific countries?
Demand on Labour Sending Units – can Tonga and Vanuatu cope with increasing numbers being recruited?

11. The next phase?