Trans Tasman praises the Ministry for Pacific Island Affairs:
The Ministry for Pacific Island Affairs is one of the smallest agencies but it has helped reduce one of the great evils of our region. Pacific people around the world – many of them in NZ – are responsible for sending approximately $US600m a year back to the Pacific Islands. It is the major source of income in the region and until recently, charlatans were charging 25% fees or more to process the remittances. Now this can be done for 3 to 4%. Sure, the Ministry had some powerful friends helping it such as the Reserve Bank, but without its drive, the usurious rates taking money from the most needy could still be in place.
Usurious is the word for processing fees of 25% or more.
I think these rates were also applied to money earned by workers employed for harvest under the Recognised Seasonal Employment Scheme.
They do a really good job for orchardists and market gardeners and are paid reasonably for that. But skimming 25% or more off their pay in fees when they took it home would leave them with far less than minimum wages.
Homepaddock 