James Blair Named 2026 Young Grower National Champion
James Blair, an agronomist for AS Wilcox and the Pukekohe regional champion, has won the 2026 Young Grower national title.
In late September, Immigration Minister Michael Wood lifted the current RSE cap by 3,000 to 19,000 for the coming season.
In setting the new cap, Wood said the Government also took into consideration concerns expressed about working conditions from RSE workers.
"The wellbeing of RSE workers is a priority for us, and we have worked with industry and unions to introduce a new provision, that employers will be required to provide a sick leave entitlement to RSE workers.
"That is in addition to the pre-existing minimum wage requirement of $22.10, which we introduced during the pandemic."
HortNZ chief executive, Nadine Tunley says the move will give growers confidence to continue to invest as they go into the 2022-2023 harvest season.
"Any decision that helps our industry address its chronic labour shortage is good news."
However, Tunley says the horticulture industry is eager to continue to work with the Government on a substantive review of the RSE scheme, to ensure it is fit for purpose and delivers for the Pacific and its people, as well as our horticulture industry.
"We want to build on the past 15 years and ensure the ongoing success of the scheme in a post-Covid world."
But there has been some criticism of the Government decision with ACT saying the change is 'too little too late'.
"The sensible policy change would have been to remove the cap on the number of RSEs completely, like Australia's scheme," ACT Immigration spokesperson James McDowall says.
"Capping the scheme creates untold problems. Employers fight over a 'quota' that must be allocated to each one. The allocation formula is not fair and leads to delays and disappointment year after year."
He says the RSE scheme is a win-win-win for the primary industries, our pacific friends and neighbours, and New Zealand's geopolitical aims of a more united and democratic pacific.
