For the first time, the kiwifruit industry has teamed up with rugby, football and volleyball organisations as well as local sponsors to celebrate the important role of the RSE community with the inaugural RSE Workers’ Sports Festival.

The RSE Sports Festival will be held on Thursday 22 August at Blake Park, Mount Maunganui with 400+ participants playing Rugby 7s, 6-a-side Volleyball and 7-a-side Football.

Former All Black, BOP Rugby Patron and owner of Kiwifruit Country Tours, Graeme Crossman comments, "Bay of Plenty Rugby approached us recently with the Sports Festival concept. Kiwifruit Country Tours thinks it's a great idea and look foward to getting involved. Our business is heavily involved in transporting RSE workers from accommodation facilities to packhouses across the Bay of Plenty and it's great to see the Sports Festival created to celebrate the contribution RSE workers make to the kiwifruit industry.

The Sports Festival concept grew out of an RSE Workers Rugby game played in August last year between postharvest suppliers Seeka and Eastpack. The game attracted 60 players from each company but there was only room for 25 players in each team. The game attracted a loud and large crowd and from the day, those involved wondered what to do next to accommodate the high level of interest and soon after the Sports Festival was created.

Zespri's Government and Community Relations Manager Rachel Lynch says the RSE Worker's Sports Festival will be a real celebration following a strong growing season and with this season's harvest now all packed.

“There’s a lot of excitement in the industry about this season with our largest-ever crop of 197 million trays of New Zealand fruit, after a couple of challenging years for the industry.

“The work carried out across the Bay of Plenty this season has been monumental and couldn’t have been achieved without the RSE workforce who play a really important part in our industry. We’re so pleased to partner with Bay of Plenty Rugby for this new event and show our RSE community how much we value their contribution.” 

Neil Alton from Bay of Plenty Rugby comments, “Bay of Plenty Rugby is always looking at ways to interact with different community groups and the RSE Sports Festival is a new way in which our sport can give RSE workers a positive experience while in New Zealand.

Alton continues, we are really pleased to have the support of WaiBOP Football and BOP Volleyball who also want to engage with different communities to grow their sports. We are also really grateful that Zespri, FMG, Kiwifruit Country Tours and Bay Kiwifruit Contracting have joined us as sponsors of the event.

“The focus of the day is all about “Connections, Fun and Culture”. We are very lucky to have the RSE workers supporting the kiwifruit industry and its going to be an awesome day to celebrate their hard work and contribution through this event.”

If your organisation wants to find out more about this event, please contact Neil Alton, neil@boprugby.co.nz

Article added: Friday 12 July 2024