Media release

16 December 2015

North Island business fined for employing unlawful workers

Henry’s Poultry Ltd, a company based in Levin, has recently been convicted of 6 offences under section 350(1)(b) of the Immigration act 2009. The company admitted to employing 5 Samoan nationals who were in New Zealand without a visa and 1 person who was working for them on a visitor visa. The company were in court on 9 December for sentencing and received fines totalling $7,500 and ordered to pay court costs of $780.

The people who were found to be working unlawfully have either been deported, left New Zealand voluntarily or successfully regularised their status.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) General Manager Peter Devoy says that The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), through INZ and the Labour Inspectorate, monitors different industry sectors for unlawful employment practices and uses a variety of tools to ensure that overseas workers at workplaces are legally entitled to work. MBIE also works closely with other departments, agencies and employers in order to ensure compliance with Immigration legislation.

“This should serve as a warning to other businesses who may feel tempted to break the law. It is completely unacceptable for employers to employ foreign nationals who are unlawfully in New Zealand or do not have a visa to work in here - there are no excuses.”

New Zealand businesses have a legal responsibility to ensure that their employees are legally entitled to work for them. INZ is in regular touch with employers to ensure they understand their obligations. Employers are encouraged to use INZ’s online tool VisaView to check whether a person who is not a New Zealand citizen is able to work for them.

We encourage anyone with any information about overseas workers working illegally to get in touch with us so that we can investigate and take any appropriate action.

Visit the Immigration section of our website for more information about hiring workers from overseas, and employers obligations:http://www.mbie.govt.nz/info-services/immigration

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