By RNZ
An increasing number of stranded foreign nationals are looking for work in Hawke's Bay, despite the season, and civil defence says it is like "watching a slow train wreck".
Civil Defence Hawke's Bay had been providing emergency accommodation, food and clothing to dozens of foreign nationals over the last few months, Civil Defence controller Ian MacDonald said, and the situation was getting worse.
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The foreigners included nearly 1700 workers from Pacific islands, employed under the Recognised Seasonal Employment (RSE) scheme, whose contracts had ended and were now left with either little or no work and unable to get home.