Hundreds of Pacific workers here under the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme gathered to pray together in the Bay of Plenty last night. Photo / Sooupu RSE Samoa
Hundreds of Pacific workers here under the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme gathered to pray together in the Bay of Plenty last night. Photo / Sooupu RSE Samoa
There were emotional scenes as hundreds of seasonal workers gathered to pray, sing hymns and share memories of their two colleagues killed in a horror crash in Ramarama this week.
Workers in and around the Bay of Plenty, here under the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme, gathered at a local school hall last night as part of a special candlelit service held for Samoan seasonal workers Leauga Jerry Leauga, 37, and his cousin Ta’avao Kelemete, 32.
Hundreds of Pacific workers here under the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme gathered to pray together in the Bay of Plenty last night. Photo / Sooupu RSE Samoa
The two men - as well as their uncle, Auckland resident Fa’aofo Uili Fa’aofo - were killed instantly on Monday when a truck travelling from the opposite direction suffered a tyre blowout that caused it to cross over to the other side of State Highway 1, Auckland, colliding with the van and two other vehicles.
Three other seasonal workers who were also in the van survived the crash and were rushed to hospital for treatment. Leauga’s 21-year-old brother is one of the surviving trio and remains in a critical condition.
Leauga Jerry Leauga (left), Ta'avao Kelemete and their uncle Fa'aofo Uili Fa'aofo were all killed in a crash in Ramarama on Monday afternoon.
In the Bay of Plenty last night, RSE teams from around the region and from different horticulture companies arrived to share in their grief at the sudden loss of their friends.
There are nine Pacific Island nations signed up to the RSE scheme, which has been going for about 17 years and allows workers to travel to New Zealand to work at orchards and vineyards around the country - including in Hawke’s Bay, Marlborough and the Bay of Plenty.
Those countries are: Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Nauru and the Solomon Islands.
For many of those who travel from the Pacific, it is their first time living outside their home country and they leave behind families who very much depend on the income they earn here. Because their families are there, the workers tend to form close brotherly bonds within their respective workplaces in Aotearoa.
Images and video footage shared on Facebook show poignant scenes of the workers - many still in their work uniforms and boots - seated on chairs and on the floor, as the hall fills up quickly.
Pacific Island RSE workers, many of them from Samoa, gathered to remember their fallen colleagues. Photo / Sooupu RSE Samoa
At one point, the lights are turned off and those with candles hold them up as an old Samoan hymn is sung: Afio mai ia, Iesu e - a hymn calling on Jesus Christ to be among them and declaring that He is their only hope.
Many of the young men seated cross-legged at the front have their eyes closed as they sing the words loudly. The song is later repeated when the lights are back on and as the camera sweeps across the masses, it is an emotional sight and sound to hear.
Prayers were said and a number of speakers from the various companies who take part in the RSE scheme also took to the stage to share some words of comfort.
It is understood a similar memorial service is being organised by members of the Samoan community in Auckland, to remember the three men killed and also give the community the chance to express their grief.
Meanwhile, a Givealittle fundraising page set up to help the families of the men killed has received just over $51,000 in donations from generous Kiwis from around the country, as of 2pm.
Vaimoana Mase is the Pasifika editor for the Herald’s Talanoa section, sharing stories from the Pacific community. She won junior reporter of the year at the then Qantas Media Awards in 2010 and won the best opinion writing award at the 2023 Voyager Media Awards.
