Vanuatu
“It was about strengthening those ties and encouraging workers who may feel homesick.
If the family are not well back home, the boys don’t enjoy their work. The idea for the support group is to help the workers to have a good work environment”.
At the recent 16th RSE conference in Christchurch (2 August 2023), Peter Bumseng and Regina Bumseng were awarded the Industry Service Award for their work in setting up a mechanism for encouraging RSE workers and their families.
“When I’m here and he’s working overseas, I know that he’s doing something overseas to support me and I and the children can enjoy life here in Port Vila, said Regina.”
About 12 years ago, the couple started a special group to help workers and their families deal with the challenges of separation.
Vanuatu High Commission wishes to congratulate Peter and Regina for receiving this well-deserved award from Horticulture NZ.
This model can be replicated in other islands in Vanuatu and elsewhere in any Labor Supplying nation in the Pacific.
For further insights into the life and work of this family you can watch the voices of the pacific clip, in the link below, to get a sense of how it all started some 16 years ago.
Voices Of The Pacific: Fifteen years picking fruit in NZ for a better life in Vanuatu - NZ Herald
NZ Herald
Peter Bumseng, of Vanuatu, has been a seasonal worker in New Zealand for 15 years.