Trio Convicted On Nine Representative Charges Of Immigration Fraud

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) welcomes the guilty verdict for three people involved in exploiting migrants under the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme that was handed down in the Hamilton District Court on Friday.

On 17 February 2023, Antony Swarbrick, Christina Kewa-Swarbrick, and Martha Fretton were found guilty on 9 representative charges of aiding and abetting, completion of a visa application known to be false or misleading, and provision of false or misleading information to an Immigration Officer under sections 342(1) and 355(1) of the Immigration Act 2009.

Their offending occurred between 2013 and 2016, when they arranged for groups of seasonal workers from Papa New Guinea to work illegally in New Zealand for very low wages. The workers were led to believe that they would be travelling to New Zealand to work under the RSE scheme in full time employment and they believed they were going to be paid hourly rates of around $15 NZD per hour, well below the minimum wage.

General Manager Verification and Compliance, Richard Owen, says that combatting migrant exploitation is a top priority for INZ.

“No form of exploitation is acceptable in New Zealand, and INZ will hold offenders to account. This conviction should act as a strong warning to anyone considering exploiting temporary or unlawful migrants.”

“Employers who demonstrate this kind of exploitive behavior are jeopardising New Zealand’s reputation as a fair place to live, work and do businesses” says Mr Owen.

The trio are due to be sentenced at the Te Awamutu District Court on 30 March 2023.

INZ encourages anyone who is aware of immigration fraud or migrant exploitation offending to report it immediately.

Cases can be reported to MBIE’s contact centre on 0800 20 90 20. Alternatively, they can be reported to police or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via the online Crimestoppers form.

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