Key Insights • The operation of the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme in its present form reflects and reinforces the unequal relationship between New Zealand and countries in the Pacific that have been shaped by colonial and imperial practices. • Our analysis of policy and strategy documents related to the RSE scheme reveals three key discourses (language and ideas) that underpin the foundation and operation of the RSE. They are: 1) a form of paternalism that is shaped around claims of ‘co-development’, 2) a strong commitment to technocratic managerialism, and 3) the racialisation of Pacific people as ‘good’ candidates for seasonal manual labour. • Paternalism is expressed primarily in the notion of benevolence and development aid that reflect and reproduce colonial power relations between New Zealand and its neighbouring Pacific countries. • Managerialism, the idea that ‘orderly migration’ relies on evaluation, monitoring, target setting, and enforcement, is evident in New Zealand’s disproportionate authority over determining the entry numbers as well as the conditions that structure the stay and work experiences of the RSE workers. • Pacific people are racialised as the ideal seasonal workforce for physically challenging jobs in the horticultural and viticultural industries – sectors that are characterised by low wages and working conditions. • Our analysis indicates a need to rethink the RSE scheme as a ‘global model’ for circular migration management as it reproduces colonial power relations. We suggest that Pacific migration policies should be revaluated to rectify the existing power imbalance in the administration of RSE and other Pacific focused schemes. A more equitable and fairer outcome can be achieved through mutual dialogue with Pacific countries to enhance the rights and freedoms of migrants and provide pathways to residence should Pacific people desire so. • To address the imperialist underpinnings of the RSE scheme and other migration policies focused on the Pacific, the reform efforts should be firmly grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi, with substantive involvement of Māori as tangata whenua.