NZ to include Fisheries in RSE scheme for Tuvalu and Kiribati

Transcript

New Zealand has extended its Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme in Kiribati and Tuvalu to include the fisheries sector.

The pilot project is recruiting trained fishermen from Tuvalu and Kiribati to work on New Zealand's fishing boats.

Vanuatu's Director of Fisheries, Kalo Pakoa says they are also hopeful the project may be extended to them in future.

New Zealand's Economic Ambassador to the Pacific, Shane Jones, spoke to Indira Stewart.

SHANE JONES: It covers about 20 youngsters. They are predominantly the graduates of the Kiribati Maritime college and some young people from Tuvalu. They will receive a modicum of training when they get here. The focus on Kiribati relates to the fact that the New Zealand government for many years has been a key contributor to meeting the costs of the maritime college located in Tarawa, Kiribati. Many of the graduates have gone on to work in international shipping lines and they have a fine reputation. But that work is changing as the international shipping industry is changing.

INDIRA STEWART: If this pilot project goes well in Kiribati, Tuvalu and Vanuatu who want to hop on board, are there going to be other Pacific countries who will be included in this RSE extension as well?

SJ: Well you make a good point. The moment that many of the other Pacific leaders heard about the pilot, they immediately put their hands up as well. But I have pointed out to them, the focus is on dealing with the graduates of these maritime colleges which do consume an important part of our international aid budget. Recently I went up to Port Vila and I did meet with the whanau and they pointed out that they too are training young men and women to work in the fishing industry. I would say however, that we're looking to Vanuatu to exercise, along with the Solomons and the Cooks and hopefully Fiji, some leadership in trying to rein in the excessive efforts in the albacore fishery.

IS: Ok, and in terms of them hopping on to this pilot project, will they be required to set up any kind of framework or administration, or even training programs to support that on the their end, in order for this to happen?

SJ: Yeah look, to be really unambiguous with you the focus really is on making sure that the people coming out of the Kiribati Maritime College and Tuvalu - we can make it work at that level. We've got quite a bit of exposure to the Kiribati Maritime College and once we've got our heads around how that might work in practise in New Zealand, i.e. their graduates, then inevitably MFAT officials and other related government departments will look at expansion. But it would be wrong of me to say that we're looking with any seriousness beyond making the pilot a success.