As of 2 September 2024, several updates have been made to the RSE scheme to support New Zealand’s horticulture and viticulture industries. These changes will help reduce costs, ease compliance, and provide benefits for both employers and workers.
Key changes
Increased RSE cap
The RSE cap will increase by 1,250 workers to a total of 20,750 for the 2024/25 season.
30-hour minimum work requirement
Employers will be able to average the 30-hour minimum weekly work requirement over a 4-week period, providing more flexibility in managing work fluctuations.
Wage requirements
Returning RSE workers (third season and beyond) must be paid at least NZD$25.47 (10% above the minimum wage), while all other workers must be paid at least the New Zealand minimum wage.
Accommodation costs
Employers can temporarily increase weekly accommodation costs by either 15% or NZD$15.00, whichever is less, for 12 months. This applies to agreements signed after 2 September 2024.
Increase flexibility for worker movement
The grace period for RSE workers moving between employers or regions will be extended from 14 to 21 days.
AgriSmart features to support compliance
30-hour averaging
Our system simplifies tracking employee compliance with the 30-hour minimum work requirements averaged over a 4-week period. To assist with this, we’ve created a new report called ‘RSE Minimum Hours’, which makes monitoring easy.
Identifying returning employees
We are developing tools to help you identify employees returning for their third season or more. Once released, this feature will make it easy to ensure these employees are paid at 10% above the minimum hourly rate, as required by the updated wage regulations. We will notify you when this feature becomes available.
Next Steps for RSE employers
Your required actions will depend on the stage of your Agreement to Recruit (ATR) process:
ATR submitted or approved before 2 September 2024
- Existing policy applies – If your ATR was submitted or approved before 2 September 2024, the existing policy remains in effect.
- Option to update employment agreements – If you have not yet offered the employment agreement to workers and wish to update it to align with the new policy, you can submit a ‘Variation of Agreement to Recruit’ form to the RSE Unit for approval. This form will allow updates to:
- Minimum remuneration
- Average hours
- Accommodation cost deductions
- Submission process – Submit the ‘Variation of Agreement to Recruit’ form to the RSE Unit via email, with the subject line ‘Variation of Agreement to Recruit’ to [email protected]. The RSE Unit will review requests in the order they are received, starting from 2 September 2024.
ATR submitted on or after 2 September 2024
- New policy applies – The new policy will automatically apply to your ATR submissions from this date.
- No variation form required – Your employment agreements can include clauses reflecting the new policy without needing to submit a variation form.
RSE Limited Visa submitted or approved before 2 September 2024
- Existing policy applies – You must honour existing employment agreements for 2024/25. Changes are not permitted unless they are more beneficial to the workers.
RSE Limited Visa submitted on or after 2 September 2024
- New policy applies – You can offer employment agreements that align with the new policy, provided you have approval from the RSE Unit. If an employment agreement has already been offered under the old policy, you must honour those terms and conditions.
We encourage you to review these updates and take the necessary actions based on your current stage in the ATR process.
If you would like to know more on how AgriSmart’s software can assist you with managing your RSE employees, contact our sales team using the form below!
