Allocation of RSE workers in 2019/20

The number of Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) workers employed in New Zealand is rising from 12,850 to 14,400 in 2019/20. Of the 1550 new employees: 150 will be allocated to new RSEs, and 1400 will be utilised across existing RSEs. Each employer will receive 40% of the employees they request as part of the numbers submitted to the Governance Groups.

Processing applications

We will process Agreement to Recruit (ATR) applications in the order that workers are due to arrive in New Zealand. This process ensures fair treatment for employers across sectors and regions. If employers need workers for shorter periods, we expect they will work together so that their workers can have up to 7 months’ work.

Criteria we used to allocate workers

In deciding the criteria we aimed to: have a fair and transparent process for all employers — in the RSE Operational Review most stakeholders recommended a percentage-based proportional system apply a simple and consistent formula for all eligible employers encourage the sharing of RSE labour to maximise benefits to workers and the industries they are employed in prioritise employers whose crops are picked early in the season by processing ATRs in the order that workers arrive.

Advising employers of their allocation

We will send individual emails to employers by 16 October with a provisional allocation of workers and an explanation of the process for submitting an ATR application.

Getting further information

Other changes to the RSE scheme, including to the increase in the cap and accommodation restrictions, are detailed in the RSE information for employers and a previous news item. Recognised Seasonal Employer Latest delevopments in the RSE Scheme