Rival orchard workers take to volleyball courts
Ofiso Paulo was in smashing form as his Cederman Brothers A side took out the Kono-Whakatu RSE Volleyball Tournament at Saxton Court.<em> Photo: Barry Whitnall/Shuttersport.</em>
More than 20 teams of RSE workers battled it out in the second annual Kono-Whakatu Volleyball Tournament at Saxtons Stadium earlier this month.
Orchards were limited to a maximum of two teams, and some competitors had already worked in the morning before arriving to compete in the round robin event.
The players are from Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu, and are in the region working as part of the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme.
“There was a really good vibe, and it was a good chance to get to know each other better before the season gets busy,” says Josh Kutu, who looks after pacific workers’ mental health and makes sure they feel safe and happy while here.
Birdhurst and Golden Bay Fruit’s RSE coordinator/pastoral care, Tito Elisara, says as a company they are big advocates for workers getting involved in things outside of work.
“We have been involved every year and had two teams enter this year,” he says. “It’s good for them to do something outside of work, they are here for seven months so any chance we get to get involved in tournaments like this we do.”
Nelson City Council subsidised the court hire, while FarmRight and Fairfield looked after the late lunch – 347 plates as there was a big turnout from the pacific community.
Joshua’s Kono team was “blown away” in the quarter-finals.
“It was competitive with 18 to 30-year-olds battling it out,” reports Josh.
Cederman “A” beat Cederman “B” in the semi-finals and then picked off another Motueka team Birdhurst in the final, which was played over 15 minutes.
Tito says Birdhirst lost by just one point. Organisers are hoping for even more orchards to take part in next year’s tournament.