New Zealand High Commission Port Vila, Vanuatu
Vanuatu Mourns RSE Champion
The body of the late Dick Eade, one of the first agents to send local Ni-Vanuatu employees to New Zealand under the Recognised Seasonal Employment (RSE) scheme, was laid to rest on Friday 6 January 2012 in the country which he himself called 'home'.
Dick Eade was shot dead by a Ni-Vanuatu man on 29 December 2011 at Teouma Gardens, a company he established in 1990 to cultivate and sell fresh greens to markets and business houses around Port Vila. Approximately 400 people including friends, RSE workers, Vanuatu Government employees, staff of the New Zealand High Commission and members of the Teouma Garden community joined the late Eade's family at the Sacred Heart Catherdal for his funeral.
As one speaker noted, 'Dick Eade was a kind hearted man, and a good character, and he will be sorely missed'.
Right from the begining, when the RSE was in its infancy, Dick showed enthusiasm, commitment and a positive can-do attitude that eventually lead to Vanuatu becoming the first state in the Pacific to trial the RSE - a scheme that has delivered employment, skills development opportunities and overseas experience to thousands of Ni-Vanuatu. Indeed for many, the RSE has become a career, and NZ, a second home.
The Commissioner of Labour, Lionel Kaluat, said Dick Eade will be greatly missed by the Government and people of Vanuatu.
Since the scheme's inception, Dick also worked to help the High Commission, New Zealand Department of Labour and NZ Employers, understand how to work together, better and smarter to strengthen the RSE so that it would continue to deliver real benefits to the grassroots of Vanuatu.
As a New Zealander, but long term resident of Vanuatu, Dick was also perfectly placed to serve as a recruitment agent - giving NZ employers confidence that he understood their needs, while at the same time, addressing their questions about Vanuatu. In this regard, Dick served as a spokesman for Vanuatu, actively promoting it and educating employers about Vanuatu and its culture and customs.
Today, Vanuatu is by far the largest participant in the RSE and Ni-Vanuatu have become a highly valued part of NZ's horticulture and viticulture sectors, thanks to the part Dick played in this.