Speaking respect: Discourse and identity in Samoan seasonal work

This article examines how Samoan seasonal workers in New Zealand’s Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme use culturally rooted discourse strategies to navigate workplace communication. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in Hawke’s Bay and interactional data from the Wellington Language in the Workplace Project, the study shows how silence, indirectness and kinship-based language reflect fa’a Samoa – respect, humility and relational harmony and how these practices are frequently misread within institutional settings that prize assertiveness and individual initiative. Using Interactional Sociolinguistics and a Pacific-centred Fatugātiti lens, the article offers close analyses of workplace excerpts to show how contextual cues index identity and respect. These findings emphasise the importance of culturally responsive frameworks in labour policy and workplace training. The article contributes to discourse studies by highlighting Indigenous communicative norms and illustrating how power and ideology influence institutional discourse. It also offers practical guidance for employers and policymakers aiming to foster inclusive environments for Pacific workers. By prioritising Samoan ways of speaking, the study advocates rethinking what constitutes good communication and encourages greater intercultural understanding in global labour contexts.