The Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme Modernisation
On 28 July 2026 the Government announced a modernisation package for the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme: graduated accreditation, greater worker mobility between employers, clearer cost-recovery rules and new accommodation standards. None of it is in force. Rollout is staged from early 2027 through 2029.
Quick Facts
| Announced | 28 July 2026 |
| Status | Not in force. Staged rollout from early 2027 through 2029 |
| Next milestone | Accommodation standard decisions expected by the end of September 2026 |
| Confirmed already | Internet access has been added to the prescribed accommodation standards |
| Main reforms | Graduated accreditation · greater worker mobility between RSE employers · clearer cost-recovery rules |
| Scheme size | Around 17,000 Pacific workers a year, against an annual cap of 20,750 |
| Eligible countries | 13 |
| Maximum stay | 7 months in any 11-month period; 9 months for Kiribati and Tuvalu citizens living at home |
| Season | 1 July to 30 June |
| Employer fees | RSE employer status NZ$1,040; Agreement to Recruit NZ$280 |
What the RSE scheme is
The Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme lets New Zealand horticulture and viticulture businesses recruit workers from Pacific countries for seasonal work. It has run since 2007 and it is the largest formal labour mobility arrangement between New Zealand and the Pacific.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Eligible countries | 13: Fiji · Kiribati · Marshall Islands · Micronesia · Nauru · Palau · Papua New Guinea · Samoa · Solomon Islands · Timor-Leste · Tonga · Tuvalu · Vanuatu |
| Annual cap | 20,750 visas |
| Actual uptake | Around 17,000 workers a year |
| Maximum stay | 7 months in any 11-month period |
| Longer stay | 9 months for Kiribati and Tuvalu citizens living in those countries |
| Season year | 1 July to 30 June |
| Visa fee | From NZ$325 |
| Family | Partners and dependants cannot be included |
Note the gap between the cap and the uptake. Both numbers are published and they are not interchangeable: 20,750 is the ceiling, around 17,000 is the reality. See the RSE Limited Visa, explained and what the RSE scheme is.
What was announced on 28 July 2026
Four strands:
Graduated accreditation. Employers with strong compliance histories would face lighter-touch requirements than employers without one. At present RSE employer status is largely binary.
Greater worker mobility. Workers would be able to move between RSE employers more easily, with safeguards. Currently a worker's visa names the employer, and moving is difficult. This is the change with the most direct effect on workers: it reduces how much a single employer relationship determines your season.
Clearer cost-recovery rules. The rules on what employers may recover from workers for transport, insurance and accommodation would be made explicit. Deductions are a long-running source of dispute in the scheme.
Enhanced accommodation standards. These were under consultation at the time of the announcement. One element is already confirmed: internet access has been added to the prescribed accommodation standards. For workers separated from family for up to seven months, that is not a minor amenity.
Context given alongside the announcement: the sector has grown from about NZ$2.5 billion in 2007 to nearly NZ$9 billion today.
The one date to watch
Accommodation standard decisions are expected by the end of September 2026.
That is the only near-term milestone in the package. Everything else is staged from early 2027 through 2029, which is beyond the current parliamentary term — see the 2026 general election and immigration.
What the three main reforms would mean in practice
The announcement uses policy language. Translated:
Graduated accreditation. Today, an employer either holds Recognised Seasonal Employer status or does not, and the requirements are largely the same for everyone. A graduated model would tier employers by compliance record, so a business with years of clean audits carries a lighter administrative load than a new or previously non-compliant one. For workers, the useful signal is that an employer's tier would become a visible proxy for how it has treated people.
Worker mobility. An RSE visa currently names the employer, and the worker cannot work for anyone else. That single fact shapes the power balance of the whole scheme: if the placement goes badly, there is often no alternative except to go home. Allowing movement between RSE employers, with safeguards, is the reform with the largest practical effect on a worker's season.
Cost recovery. Employers recover certain costs from workers — transport, insurance, accommodation. What may be recovered, and on what basis, has been a persistent source of dispute and of unexpectedly small pay packets. Making the rules explicit does not by itself reduce deductions, but it makes them checkable.
How RSE differs from the other seasonal routes
Four different New Zealand routes are commonly described as "seasonal work", and they are not interchangeable.
| Route | Who it is for | Length | Employer tie |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSE Limited Visa | Citizens of 13 Pacific countries | 7 months per 11 (9 for Kiribati and Tuvalu) | Named employer only |
| Global Workforce Seasonal Visa | Experienced returning seasonal workers | Up to 9 months a year, over a 3-year visa | Job must be on the GWSV list |
| Peak Seasonal Visa | High-season roles, 1 prior season required | Up to 7 months | Sector-based |
| Working holiday | Young travellers from 45 schemes | Usually 12 months | Open work rights |
The RSE scheme is the only one of the four built as a country-to-country arrangement with an annual cap, and the only one restricted to horticulture and viticulture. See seasonal work visas in New Zealand compared.
What has not changed
This is the most important section on this page, because "RSE reform announced" reads like something has happened. As at 20 August 2026:
- Nothing in the modernisation package is in force. The scheme operates today exactly as it did before 28 July 2026.
- The cap is still 20,750 visas a year.
- The 13 eligible countries are unchanged.
- Maximum stay is still 7 months in any 11-month period, and 9 months for Kiribati and Tuvalu citizens living at home.
- Workers still cannot bring partners or dependants, and there are no onshore extensions.
- A job with a Recognised Seasonal Employer is still required before applying, and workers cannot work for employers not named on the visa.
- Medical insurance must still be maintained throughout the stay.
- Employer fees are unchanged: RSE employer status NZ$1,040, Agreement to Recruit NZ$280, and a request for supplementary seasonal employment approval in principle NZ$335. See employer immigration fees in New Zealand.
- Third-season returnees still receive at least the minimum wage plus 10%.
- The RSE scheme is separate from the two new seasonal work visas that opened in December 2025 — see New Zealand's two new seasonal work visas.
What to do differently now
For most people: nothing yet.
- Workers: the rules that apply to your next season are the current rules. Do not plan around employer mobility that does not exist yet.
- Employers: graduated accreditation rewards compliance history, and compliance history is built before the rules change, not after. The accommodation consultation is the live piece — decisions are due by the end of September 2026.
- Everyone: the accommodation standards are the part with a 2026 date on it. The rest is 2027 to 2029.
A separate point worth knowing: minimum employment rights in New Zealand apply to seasonal workers in the same way they apply to everyone else, and they are enforced by the Labour Inspectorate and the Employment Relations Authority rather than by Immigration New Zealand. See New Zealand employment rights for migrant workers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is changing in the RSE scheme?
Graduated accreditation for employers with strong compliance histories, greater worker mobility between RSE employers, clearer cost-recovery rules for transport, insurance and accommodation, and enhanced accommodation standards including internet access. The package was announced on 28 July 2026.
When do the RSE changes take effect?
They do not yet. Rollout is staged from early 2027 through 2029. The only near-term milestone is accommodation standard decisions, expected by the end of September 2026.
How many workers does the RSE scheme bring to New Zealand?
Around 17,000 Pacific workers a year, against an annual cap of 20,750 visas.
Which countries are in the RSE scheme?
Thirteen: Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Timor-Leste was added in September 2024.
How long can an RSE worker stay in New Zealand?
Up to 7 months in any 11-month period. Citizens of Kiribati and Tuvalu who live in those countries may stay up to 9 months.
Can RSE workers change employers?
Not easily under the current rules — the visa names the employer, and it is limited to that employment. Greater mobility is part of the announced package, but it is not in force.
What does RSE employer accreditation cost?
NZ$1,040 for Recognised Seasonal Employer status and NZ$280 for an Agreement to Recruit. There has been no general fee or levy increase in 2025 or 2026.
Can RSE workers bring their families?
No. Partners and dependants cannot be included, and that is unchanged by the modernisation package.
This page is general information, not immigration advice. New Zealand regulates immigration advice under the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007, and we do not assess anyone's individual circumstances. For advice about your own case, use a licensed immigration adviser or a New Zealand lawyer, and check the licence on the Immigration Advisers Authority register.
