Dr. Rochelle Lee Bailey

Biography

Rochelle Bailey joined the Department of Pacific Affairs as a Research Fellow to work on labour migration issues, having conducted eighteen years of ethnographic research on Pacific labour mobility, particularly focusing on New Zealand’s Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme (RSE). She has engaged with various topics including politics, intergovernmental relationships, regionalism, economics, social change, and migration issues in the Pacific since 2004. Following her entry into the department, Bailey continued her research with New Zealand and ni-Vanuatu participants, as well as those involved in Australia’s Seasonal Worker Program. She has published three briefs highlighting her research that examines development outcomes for participants in labour mobility schemes, as well as for employers, seasonal workers, and the communities in both sending and host regions. Furthering her work, Bailey, along with Roannie Ng Shiu, has explored how seasonal labour mobility contributes to recovery from natural disasters through remittances derived from participation in these labour schemes. Additionally, Bailey and Ng Shiu co-convene an undergraduate course that examines the impacts of Pacific mobilities on the region.

Research Interests