Bay of Plenty honours CSR workers with sports festival

Bay of Plenty’s Recognised Seasonal Employers (RSEs) want an annual sports day to become part of their calendar, following the success of the first one last week.

More than 300 workers gathered at Blake Park in Mount Maunganui to take part in the first ever sports festival, jointly organised by Bay of Plenty Rugby and New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated.

While the competition on the pitch was not lacking in pace, the friendship off it was the highlight of the day.

The votes were unanimous and workers, who were at the centre of the day, said they would support an annual event.

Ratu Peceli Lacanivalu, a Fijian worker from Naitasiri who works for EastPack, said the day helped them forget the pressure of missing their families back home.

“Well, we enjoyed it very much and we thank Bay of Plenty Rugby for the opportunity to host us and have fun,” he said after leading his EastPack sevens team to the title win.

“I have been here in New Zealand for a long time, we miss our families. Most of the boys and our sisters come from villages in Fiji and some from the islands.

“Working here is very new and we really enjoy and benefit from the climate and atmosphere here in Mount Maunganui.

“What was nice was being able to meet our brothers and sisters who work for other companies, some of whom are related to us. And we didn’t know that we were working here in the same neighborhood, but that day we were able to meet each other.

“It’s something we hope to see happen every year so everyone can come together.”

Colin Shem, a Vanuatuan who works for Bay Kiwifruit, agrees that it was a day when workers were able to have fun with their compatriots.

He said the day gave them the opportunity to meet other family members who they didn’t know also worked in the Bay of Plenty.

“It was the happiest day of our lives because most of the time when we came here we didn’t know where our friends were,” he said.

“We have been very busy working and this has given us the opportunity to meet up with friends and family. Thank you to the committee for giving us a sports day like this.”

Fellow countryman Trevor Arunabat, from Mallicolo, has been working at RSE for seven years but has never seen a sports day organised for workers.

“I’m really happy to have been here today,” he said.

“In recent years, there has been no sports day for CSR workers, and this is the first time.”

Bay of Plenty Rugby Board Chairman Scott Khale said they were delighted to work with CSR stakeholders on a program to honour workers’ achievements.

He said their partnership with kiwifruit growers and farmers now also involves ensuring workers can enjoy time off such as sports day.

“We have established a great partnership with many of the packaging plants and this helps to recognise the CSR workers in the area and give them the opportunity to come and enjoy the day playing sports like rugby, volleyball and football,” he said.

He said RSE workers were important to the industry in New Zealand and their contribution had been immense.

“It’s really important, and we’ve seen some government policies put in place and we’re not going to have success in the harvest without the workers,” he said.

“This idea is widely supported by packaging plants and industry players.”

Waiariki Bay of Plenty Regional Public Service Commissioner (RPSC) Ezra Schuster said the sports day was a celebration.

He stressed the importance of the work done by CSR workers and the need for them to celebrate these achievements.

“They are a critical workforce and they drive the economy, particularly in the horticulture region, and are an important part of our community,” Schuster said.

“The economic well-being that these workers gain in their home countries is considerable.

“Today is an important day. We Pacific people love to laugh, we love sports. Today we celebrate our harvest, as Pacific people.

“It’s a celebration.”

Meanwhile, EastPack dominated the competition on the field, winning the men’s rugby sevens and mixed volleyball titles. The company had many Fijian employees on both teams.

WESKCO, with ni-Vanuatu players dominating the team line-up, won the men’s football title.