A group of 20 Fijian seasonal workers departed for New Zealand on Friday.

A total of 19 from Ovalau and one from Vanua Levu will be attached with Bostock Limited, in Napier, New Zealand.

A seasonal worker Sitiveni Sovaki, who is originally from Levuka, Ovalau, said the earnings from their first trip of fruit picking greatly contributed to the rebuilding of their houses after they were destroyed by tropical cyclone Winston.

“This is our second trip for seasonal fruit picking. For our first trip last year, we made use of the money we have earned to extend our houses and some have built new homes for their families,” he said.

“We earned around NZ$13,000 from that fruit picking work.

Apart from that, we work for a company where we were trained to mix different kinds of wines.

“For our second visit, we hope to earn more because we don’t have to go through the training again.”

The 48-year-old acknowledged the Government for providing them with seasonal fruit picking jobs because they were able to rebuild their houses or build new homes for their families.

Edited by Percy Kean