Seasonal Solutions recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. Central Otago reporter Lynda van Kempen quizzed group chief executive Helen Axby about the venture and why it has been so fruitful.
Q Why was the co-operative started and has it fulfilled its goal?
It started because a group of industry leaders recognised the difficulties in securing enough seasonal staff to meet the needs of both fruit and grape growers, so harvesting could be completed before fruit spoiled. The then Central Otago District Council economic development manager, Bill Dolan, and Ministry of Social Development regional manager John Allen formed a group of grower representatives to work on a structured approach to meeting seasonal labour needs. Seasonal Solutions Co-operative Ltd (SCCO) chairman Basil Goodman joined with World Bank director Manjula Lutharia in a sponsored project to bring 45 workers from Vanuatu for the summer harvest in 2006-07, and the rest, as they say, is history! From these beginnings, the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme was born, which now benefits over 100 employers across the county. SSCO continues to provide a service supplying Kiwi and working holiday visa-holders to our shareholder members and others who need some extra help.
Q How has the organisation grown?
SSCO began recruiting Kiwis and working holiday visa-holders for the season until the first 45 seasonal workers from Vanuatu arrived. Since then the value of those workers has been recognised nationally and there are now over 10,000 placed across the whole of New Zealand in horticulture and viticulture. As demand for workers has grown, so has supply, thanks to Government understanding of the need for this workforce. Visas under the scheme are still limited and a "Kiwi first" policy is strictly adhered to. RSE workers are here to supplement labour supply, not to replace Kiwis who need jobs. SSCO also has groups of workers from Kiribati and for the first time this year groups from Samoa, Tonga and the Solomon Islands under the scheme.
We supply labour to around 45 members in Central Otago, Marlborough and Canterbury and collaborate with other growers transferring staff to make sure they can maximise their earnings and ensure that they keep busy across the peaks and troughs of work availability in different seasons and different crops.
Q What is the secret of Seasonal Solutions’ success?
The co-operative structure of SSCO is definitely a major advantage. Having members who work together, share workers when they have a quiet period and who value and support all their staff is our greatest strength. The team managing the scheme do our best to provide the right staff at the right time. We don’t always succeed because of some of the restrictions placed on us, but our growers are usually very supportive and understanding.
Q How many workers do you place in seasonal work each summer?
At the peak of cherry picking, there are over 3000 workers with SSCO members, including almost 600 Kiwi seasonal workers and, of course, all the permanent staff who are mostly Kiwis. Over that peak season for example, there are many more Kiwis and backpackers than Ni Vanuatu workers but by the time the apple and grape harvest comes around everyone has gone back to school and university so the number and proportion of Ni Vanuatu workers is higher.
Q Tell us about the connection with Vanuatu — how important is that link for Seasonal Solutions and indeed, for the people of Vanuatu?
The connection between SSCO and Vanuatu is very strong and the workers who come here every year are very well accepted into the communities they have become an important part of. Some of the men have been coming here every season for the past 10 years and have undertaken some important projects back home to benefit their communities, including providing community meeting houses, water tanks, tending vegetable gardens and even a fish farm this year. Other representatives from the Central Otago community such as Wayne Perkins and the It’s Not About Us team have contributed even more because of connections made here. Most of those who have been part of the RSE scheme over the years have built a stronger house to withstand future cyclones and many have established their own business but one of the most important outcomes has been their ability to pay for more education for all their children as well as better healthcare and better living conditions all round. It is hard for these workers to be away from their families for seven months a year, but the support they get from SSCO managers, advocates, community groups and churches has been an enormous help.
Q Would there be enough seasonal workers to work on fruit and grape crops without them?
All our growers across fruit and wine in Central Otago as well as the Marlborough wine industry and Canterbury vegetable farms would tell you that these men are a critical element of their workforce — reliable and hardworking —and that without them it would be impossible to get all the work done. They are here to help with every task across the seasons and because the majority return every year, they are experienced, skilled and knowledgeable about the work.
Q What’s in the future for Seasonal Solutions?
We will continue to work to provide the right staff at the right time for our shareholders and others and grow the number of workers we employ under the RSE scheme as appropriate to meet that need. We have just started a first trial group of cadets — two in viticulture, two in orchards — to encourage more young people into our industry, which is very exciting.
We are working with Primary ITO to provide a great mix of on-the-job training and specialist courses for our trainees and hope to grow the scheme in the future. We also collaborate with MSD/Winz in Dunedin to take Kiwis under a special seasonal work scheme designed to provide work experience and perhaps lead to permanent work for those taking part. Workers from the RSE scheme allow horticulture and viticulture businesses to plan their growth which in turn leads to greater employment opportunities for locals in supervisory, management and technical roles — an outcome that we are proud and happy to be part of.
