Each year, thousands of Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) workers arrive in Tasman to help pick and pack the fruit that keeps the district moving. Many return year after year, building friendships at work and connections across the community.
In this regular Q&A series, we meet some of those workers and hear their stories in their own words.
This month The Guardian talks to Alavesi Kusitatino, an apple picker and thinner and Fiji group team leader at Cederman Bros Ltd.
How many years have you returned to Motueka?
I have been coming for three years.
Where have you come from and what did you do there?
Navua in Fiji – I was a farmer of taro and kava.
What makes your hometown special?
The land is beautiful. So are our farms, as the layout is very structured.
What are you working towards here?
Building a house, food for the family and helping my village.
What do you enjoy about Motueka?
Sports like touch, 7s and rugby… and KFC.
What’s something you wish New Zealanders better understood about RSE workers or your culture?
That we are here to work hard and provide for our families back home.
