Increased movement of people in the region has been advocated for some time by Pacific leaders. Photo: RNZ Pacific/ Koroi Hawkins
Pacific leaders are set to endorse a regional labour mobility principles calling for fair, ethical and transparent recruitment.
Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders are in Honiara for their annual summit and are expected to agree to the principles on Wednesday.
PIF Secretariat trade advisor Natalia Patternot said the principles are not legally binding and were aspirational.
"We've seen a lot of risk with associated with labour mobility, including discrimination, exploitation, forced labour and unfair recruitment practices," Patternot said.
She said the labour mobility landscape in the Pacific is shifting from unskilled labour mobility to including skilled or semi-skilled workers.
"Midwives, aged care, areas where our people require certification in. We've also shifted from seasonal for six to nine months to even more medium-term work, one to four years even."
Patternot said some Pacific countries were now receiving labour, a shift from it just being New Zealand and Australia.
"Niue is now becoming a receiving country for labour mobility; Cook Islands, they want to delve into inter-Pacific labour mobility and receive workers; and Samoa is exploring that avenue."
In 2023, leaders agreed for the Forum Secretariat to develop the principles.
Recruitment for New Zealand's Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme has been plateauing, while Australia's equivalent has also seen a decrease in uptake.
Patternot said it is down to demand.
"If there are more job opportunities, then we can send more workers there.
"Now, with New Zealand in particular, they haven't expanded to new sectors. It's remained in the horticulture space."
Pacific Island Community Trust (PICT) in Bay of Plenty New Zealand has been helping Solomon Islanders get employed in the aquaculture industry through the accredited employer work visa. It sits outside of the RSE scheme.
1News reported last year that visa changes to the accredited employer work visa could have meant Solomon Islands workers would have needed previous work experience on mussel farms, which they wouldn't have had.
However, PICT's Beryl Razak told RNZ Pacific they have got around it by workers having relevant work experience needed to shuck mussels, which does not need to be directly related to mussel farms.
"It's just a barrier of bringing in the workers. The businesses are the ones that realise that not a lot of New Zealanders would like to work in this type of employment," she said.
Razak also wants Pacific visa rules relaxed.
"It will be really good to see the visa just loosen a bit and try look at what we can gain from each other. I see it as a win-win for both the Pacific and New Zealand."
Razak wants the visa terms to be longer term.
Accredited employer work visas allow for someone to stay in New Zealand for up to five years depending on the job and skill level. The workers Razak deals with can stay in the country for three-years. She wants it extended up to six.
She also wants a similar system to the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme where low or semi-skilled workers can be put on short-term placements of up to nine months or long-term placements of between one to four years.
Under the RSE, workers can stay for up to seven months in any 11-month period. Exceptions to this are workers from Tuvalu and Kiribati, who can stay for nine months because of the added cost of travel.
Increased movement of people in the region has been advocated for some time by Pacific leaders.
New Zealand made changes to its visa settings in July making it easier for Pacific visitors.
PIF member states granted a visitor visa can visit New Zealand multiple times within a 24-month period.
They can also stay for up to six months in any 12-month period within that time, but no more than 9-months in an 18-month period.
Those holding an Australian visitor, work, student, or family visa, will be able to come to New Zealand from Australia with a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) for up to three months, rather than applying for a visa.
Earlier in the year, New Zealands Green Party launched a petition asking the government to extend visa-free travel to visitors from Pacific Island nations.
