More Solomon Islanders are expected to travel overseas soon as Bostock New Zealand conducts a recruitment drive in Honiara this week.
Bostock New Zealand representative Ms Ali Lawn met with the team from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade on Wednesday 23rd August to discuss issues relating to the company’s latest visit to Solomon Islands.
Solomon Islands has been steadily increasing its workforce in New Zealand in the recent year. Among issues discussed with the External Trade delegation is the high cost of travel to New Zealand and how it can be reduced potentially with the recently initialed NZ-SI air services agreement. Further challenges discussed was the processes for application of New Zealand Visa’s whereby cumbersome processes by Honiara based visa facilitative services.
MFAET’s Trade Commissioner, Barrett Salato emphasized that as other Pacific Island countries are becoming reluctant on sending workers overseas, Solomon Islands is looking at increasing its supply of labour through the New Zealand Recognized Seasonal Employers (RSE) Scheme.
The team from Bostock New Zealand have been employing Solomon Islanders to work for a number of years.
Bostock New Zealand’s Seasonal Labour Manager, Ms Ali Lawn said the company will be recruiting 69 workers for this year.
She stressed that Bostock New Zealand has had a lot of work experience with Solomon Islanders as this is the fifth trip that she has made to recruit workers from Solomon Islands to work for them.
“I have identified too many potential workers from this trip and there’s a lot more potential than I can employ,” She added.
Most of these workers are returning ones with the company offering spaces for up to 25 new individuals to join their workforce.
The group of workers will be sent in three teams, the first to travel on October, the second in November and another one in March 2024.
They will be employed for up to seven months. Bostock New Zealand has Apple Orchards, grows onions, squash and grapes for wines.
Ms Lawn hopes to recruit more workers in the future and thanked the returning workers and the Labour Mobility Unit for recommending workers for the company.
---MFAET PRESS RELEASE