RSE staff work seven days from dawn to dusk for 2 – 3 months.
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Fields of courgettes go to waste because grower can't get workers.
To do that, he needed about 10 staff who are in Thailand and unable to travel to New Zealand, as they have done for years through our Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme that brings in about 14,000 workers from other countries.
For Heap's business, it was geared to Thai workers with specialist knowledge that reduced waste and maximised profitability.
"They have been here year after year. They know what they're doing. They hit the ground running."
With their focus on the short work period, the RSE staff worked the two-to-three month picking season with seven-day working weeks and working days that begin at dawn and finish on dark.
Heap said the productivity differences between RSE workers and local workers was enormous. He needed at least two New Zealanders to do the work of one RSE worker, and the churn of local workers was huge.