Will Migrant Pacific Workers Be a Part of Aotearoa New Zealand’s Farming Futures? A call to design future agritech industry transformation plans with a reciprocal framework

Abstract

In 2020 and 2023 the New Zealand government depicted a vision for technology-enhanced farming futures in the Agritech Industry Transformation Plan. However, the plan overlooks the critical role of seasonal, migrant Pacific workers in sustaining Aotearoa New Zealand’s horticulture industry. It also contains little practical planning for what a transition from a largely human to a largely robotic workforce should entail. We show how these omissions reflect an extractive framework which threatens workers’ wellbeing and the sustainability of Aotearoa New Zealand’s horticulture industry. We provide recommendations for how future agritech industry plans can consciously adopt a more sustainable reciprocal framework.