Leaving his young family behind so that he could work overseas was not an easy decision for Salimoni Tabua.
He knew he would have to sacrifice a little for the sake of his one-year-old daughter and wife.
The Kade villager from Koro Island was one of the 54 workers under the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme who left our shores last weekend to work for Alapa Viticultural Services Limited, a horticulture company located in Marlborough, New Zealand.
“I want to thank God for giving me this opportunity,” the 35-year-old said.
“This is the first time I would be leaving my family and travelling overseas for work.
“I feel blessed because there were many who applied for this seasonal scheme but I thank God I was chosen to go to New Zealand.”
The yaqona and dalo farmer plans to build a house for his family after returning from his overseas assignment.
“My goal is to build a house and provide livelihood support to my family.
“My village on Koro Island was badly affected during Cyclone Winston in 2016.
“This opportunity would also help my family’s future in terms of financial assistance and investment.”
Mr Tabua said he had applied through a church pastor who had helped the 54 workers to secure work contracts.
“The National Employment Centre (NEC) had helped us with our medical, police clearance and other documents needed to fast track our visa application process.
“During our three-day training, the officers from NEC informed us about our working conditions, the work environment in New Zealand, how we were going to work in a horticulture farm, the rules and regulations and our contracts.
“Also, we did a training with ANZ money minded.”
Mr Tabua urges Fijians who plan to work in Australian and New Zealand to be honest.
“We should learn to serve God honestly and diligently because he opens and closes doors of opportunities for us.
“Also, when we receive money while working overseas we need it to use it wisely. By doing that, we will have something to assist us during rainy days after returning to Fiji.”
