Pacific / Vanuatu

Vanuatu urges seasonal workers to give full health report

15:13 pm on 5 June 2018

Vanuatu workers hoping to get a job on New Zealand and Australian farms and orchards are being urged to come clean about their health after a worker died in New Zealand.

The Vanuatu Daily Post reports a ni-Vanuatu worker on New Zealand's Recognised Seasonal Employment scheme died ten days ago in Tauranga.

A man from Vanuatu works in a Hawke's Bay orchard under the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme. Photo: RNZI / Johnny Blades

Vanuatu's Department of Labour has confirmed the death of Kennethy Wilson Rong on May 25.

The paper reports an autopsy revealed he had heart disease and his death has been referred to the coroner

Workers applying to work under New Zealand's RSE scheme or Australia's Seasonal Work Programme are being encouraged to tell their doctors if they know they have an existing health condition, the paper reported.