Winepress - October 2023

Vineyard Stalwart

Dedicated leader in Marlborough vines

KAT PICKFORD

DHIRENDRA SWAMI was 40 when he arrived in Marlborough on a year-long work visa with his wife Maureen in 2006. The flight from Fiji was the first time either of them had been on an aeroplane and the pair had little time to find their feet before starting work. “We arrived one day and started work at Dog Point Vineyard the next,” Dhirendra says. “We were wire lifting and bud rubbing with people on working holidays, mostly backpackers from Europe.” Seventeen years on, he takes a lot of pride in his work. “What we put into it and then it goes into award winning wines. It makes me proud of the Marlborough region.”

From day one Dhirendra felt “at home” in the vineyard. “I really enjoyed it; I love being outside and it is so beautiful in Marlborough,” he says. “I enjoyed the physical challenge, it was like being paid to exercise.” Their two children, aged 12 and 14 at the time, joined them in New Zealand a couple of weeks later and went on to finish their secondary education in Marlborough.

From day one Dhirendra felt “at home” in the vineyard. “I really enjoyed it; I love being outside and it is so beautiful in Marlborough,” he says. “I enjoyed the physical challenge, it was like being paid to exercise.” Their two children, aged 12 and 14 at the time, joined them in New Zealand a couple of weeks later and went on to finish their secondary education in Marlborough.

After a year in the vineyard, Maureen moved on to work in the aged care sector, while Dhirendra continued to hone his skills as a vineyard labourer over the next 10 years, with viticulture contract company Provine.

When Provine was bought by Vinepower in 2016, Dhirendra’s new employers recognised the value of his experience and he was promoted to vineyard supervisor, responsible for training up and monitoring staff who travel from other countries to work under the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme.

“I get huge respect from the RSE boys because I have been working in the vineyards for so many years,” Dhirendra says. “With similar backgrounds and being able to speak the same language, we have an instant connection.” Last year Dhirendra took on one of four pastoral carer roles at Vinepower. He is based at the St Andrew’s vineyard accommodation in Riverlands, which houses 460 RSE staff, with the ability to grow.

The experience for vineyard staff who come to New Zealand to work via the RSE scheme these days, is completely different compared to when he first arrived, before the scheme started, Dhirendra says. “When we came to Marlborough, we had to find our own accommodation, get our own gear, enroll at the doctors and sign up at the bank ourselves. These days it’s much better. Now when people arrive, there is a whole community here to welcome them, with support and guidance to help them settle in and feel at home.”

Work in the vineyards has also changed over the past 18 years, Dhirendra says. “It was a bit tougher back then; everything was done by hand, it was 100% hand harvested at Dog Point Vineyard and the pruning and stripping was all done by hand too. Now there is machinery for stripping the vines and to do most of the harvest.”

Winter is the season most favoured by RSE workers, because there is no shortage of work, with many people opting to work five and-a-half or six days a week. When they’re not working, the vineyard accommodation is a social hub, with staff catching up over a game of football, watching television, attending church services or learning new skills through the education and development programme, Vakameasina (see sidebox).

Now, as most head home after a busy winter season, they will return home armed with more skills, aspirations and fond memories of their time in Marlborough, Dhirendra says. “I can speak for the RSE boys and say they take a lot of pride in the work that they do here for the wine industry, while being able to contribute to their family and community back home.”

“They take a lot of pride in the work that they do here for the wine industry, while being able to contribute to their family and community back home.”

Dhirendra Swami

Vakameasina

Vakameasina, which translates to ‘treasures we carry together’, is a free education and development programme for seasonal horticultural workers, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s New Zealand Aid Programme. Run by Fruition Horticulture, the Vakameasina RSE Worker Training Programme aims to support people to grow their skillbase and confidence through learning pathways here in New Zealand, and support growth and learning when they return home.

Courses including small business, leadership, cooking and hospitality, computing, personal finances and plumbing, building and solar panel basics provide essential skills and the opportunity to create goals for applying that learning back home.