Accommodation in Hawke's Bay is ready to house a share of 2000 Pacific workers who will enter the country to pick fruit in an attempt to solve the labour shortage.

The arrival of the pickers for the horticulture and wine industries was announced by Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi and Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor on Friday morning.

Hastings mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said applications for managed isolations are already booked in, with accommodation available in Hawke's Bay.

"We've provided solutions to the government to say we can always set up our own quarantine and isolation facilities right here in Hastings," she said.

Hazlehurst said while the 2000 additional workers is less than half the number in Hawke's Bay last year, it is a "great start".

"We're used to 14,000 RSE workers coming into New Zealand, but Covid has produced different ways in which we have to go about our business.

New Zealand Apples and Pears chief executive Alan Pollard said while unsure how many workers will be distributed across Hawke's Bay, work is underway to "effectively allocate the workers across employers who need them".

Pollard said scheduling the RSE workers arrival for early 2021 ensures spaces remain available for Kiwis who wish to return home for Christmas.

"Our first priority is to create opportunities for unemployed Kiwis to access seasonal work", he said.

"With government support and incentives, some barriers can be removed creating opportunities that the unemployed may otherwise not be able to access".

"This announcement won't solve our labour deficit challenge, but goes some way to helping to reduce it," he added.