Documents Reveal: NZ Quietly Axed Pacific Migrant Programme for High-Cost Seasonal Visas

By Lions Roar Aotearoa Investigative Desk

WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND (Wednesday, January 28, 2026) — Internal government documents have revealed that New Zealand quietly shuttered a long-standing Pacific migrant worker pathway in favor of expanding the high-cost Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme.

The move, which advocates call a “step backward” for Pacific relations, shifted the focus from sustainable, long-term migration to a revolving door of short-term seasonal labor that places a higher financial burden on both workers and employers.

📂 The “Quiet” Cancellation

The leaked briefing papers show that the previous Pacific Access Category (PAC) and the Samoan Quota—which allowed a set number of people to become residents each year—were deprioritized in late 2025.

The Replacement: Instead of permanent pathways, the government has surged the cap for the RSE scheme, allowing more workers to enter for 7–9 months at a time.
The Cost Factor: Unlike the residency pathways, the RSE scheme requires employers to pay for half of the airfares and provide pastoral care, costs that are often passed down through complex fee structures, leaving workers with less take-home pay.

⚠️ High-Cost vs. High-Stability

Migration experts argue that the shift prioritizes the immediate needs of the horticulture and viticulture industries over the long-term stability of Pacific families.

Feature	Old Pacific Programme (PAC/Quota)	New RSE-Heavy Focus
Status	Permanent Residency	Temporary / Seasonal
Family	Can bring family to NZ	Family must remain in Pacific
Cost	Standard visa fees	High operational/travel costs
Long-term Goal	Community integration	Temporary labor supply

💬 “A Betrayal of the Pacific Reset”

Pacific community leaders have reacted with anger to the documents, suggesting that the “quiet” nature of the change avoided public scrutiny.

“This isn’t about helping the Pacific; it’s about treating people like a tap you can turn on and off when the fruit is ready,” one advocate told Lions Roar Aotearoa. “By axing the residency programs, we are telling our neighbors they are good enough to pick our apples, but not good enough to be our neighbors.”

🏢 Government Response

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) stated that the changes were made to “streamline” migration and ensure the workforce is “responsive to market demands.” They denied that the residency pathways were “axed,” describing it instead as a “temporary suspension to review quota effectiveness.”

However, the leaked documents suggest there is no set date for the programs to return, and the budget previously allocated to them has been redirected to RSE compliance and enforcement.