Hundreds of workers from Vanuatu travel to New Zealand each year to help with the busy harvest season on orchards and vineyards. Photo: 123RF
RSE workers due to leave Vanuatu for New Zealand in coming weeks have a tough decision on whether to come and make money or stay and help with the cleanup from Tropical Cyclone Lola.
Hundreds of workers from the country travel here each year to help with the busy harvest season in orchards and vineyards around the country.
Central Otago wine grower James Dicey said the 30 ni-Vanuatu already on his vineyards were struggling to contact family and are wondering if they're needed at home.
"The nice thing is that the guys that have been with me for a number of years have built concrete block accommodation at home and those houses are now being used as evacuation shelters.
"One of my workers, Sam, says his community in West Ambrym were sheltering in the local church or at his house, and we know that area has been hit but we haven't been able to make contact since the cyclone so we're not sure how they're doing. It's a very fluid situation."
Dicey said another 20 ni-Vanuatu were due to arrive on Saturday, but he was supportive of any decision they made on whether to travel to New Zealand or stay home.
"It is a critical part of the year for us getting shoot-thinning done on our pinot noir and other varieties in Central Otago and if staff arrive late we never really get the chance to make that time up, so it's stressful for everybody.
"Our stress is less important than their stress, so we're just working with all our guys to make sure they're as well taken care of as possible."
Dicey said following cyclones Judy and Kevin in Vanuatu earlier this year it took more than a week to get air traffic control back up and running again, so he doubted the Saturday flight would arrive as expected, and ferry services between the islands would also be disrupted.
Tropical Cylcone Lola, at one stage a category 5 storm as it approached Vanuatu, lashed the northern provinces, destroying houses and cutting communications.
