29 Jul RSE worker accommodation at Duncannon expands into next door site
Hortus general manager Josh Wilkinson at the construction site on State Highway 1, east of Blenheim.
A multimillion-dollar expansion at a seasonal worker complex will move more than 150 people out of motels and backpackers into custom-built accommodation.
Construction is already underway at Duncannon, on State Highway 1, east of Blenheim, after Hortus owner Aaron Jay purchased a neighbouring paddock earlier this year.
Jay said the expansion, budgeted to cost up to $7 million, would add an extra 160 beds to the complex, bringing the total number to 350, and the workers themselves had helped with the design.
Hortus has bought a property beside its Duncannon site, east of Blenheim, to expand into.
“It is quite an exciting project … there’s a massive dining hall going in, a recreational building and gym,” Jay said.
Staff consulted the workers on what they would like in the expansion, and sports fields were top of the list, Jay said.
“They’ve asked for a shop at reception, so they can buy things onsite, and improved wifi, and things like improved shower units. So we’re trying to make spaces conducive to a nice living environment, like the recreational areas and spaces to hang out with their mates,” he said.
“We want to make sure we give the best services and staff to them, because it’s their home away from home. They’re here for a long time and we want to make sure they’re comfortable and warm and try to look after them. As the business has evolved, so has our understanding of pastoral care.”
Hortus workers came from several Pacific countries, mainly Vanuatu but also the Solomon Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and Papua New Guinea, staying in New Zealand on the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme to work in the vineyards.
The expansion project would allow some repurposing and refurbishment of the existing buildings which were about 12-years-old.
Two new classrooms would be created in the old buildings, to give the RSE workers new skills to take home, Jay said.
“There will be a hard classroom and a soft classroom; one for business management and training, and then another classroom with chainsaws and weed eaters and solar panels.”
The project reflected the success of the RSE company, Jay said.
The latest annual RSE survey, released last week, showed more than 80 per cent of companies said the scheme created more jobs for Kiwis, as well as employing RSE workers, debunking the myth that the scheme took jobs away from Kiwis.
“The business is doing well, the region is doing well, the industry is doing well. The RSE scheme is an amazing scheme, creating heaps of opportunities for local communities and Kiwis, as well as people in the Pacific.”
Another RSE complex was expected to open on a riverside rear section on Budge St in Blenheim before harvest next year.
Seasonal Labour Accommodation Provider (SLAP) was granted consent for the 240-bed complex in May last year, and had hoped to be open for this year’s harvest.
But project manager Trevor Pearce said earthquake strengthening on the riverbank took longer than expected.
As soon as building consent was issued in the coming days, construction would get underway, and the complex could be open by the end of April, he said.
The Marlborough Express