A Hamilton businessman has been fined $13,000 and ordered to repay more than $27,600 after admitting to immigration and employment breaches involving two migrant workers, RNZ has reported.
Gaurav Batra pleaded guilty to two charges in the Hamilton District Court on Monday. Along with the fines, he must pay $27,660 in arrears to the affected workers.
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) said Batra knowingly allowed the two men to carry out work that was outside the conditions of their visas. While they had been employed to work in kebab shops run by GSK Company Ltd, they were also directed to perform cleaning jobs at other sites, which their visas did not permit.
Batra, who handled hiring, rostering, wage payments and employment records for GSK, also failed to maintain proper wage and time records. INZ said the company misrepresented the nature of the workers’ employment and underpaid them for the additional duties.
INZ investigations manager Jason Perry told RNZ that the case showed a sustained pattern of exploitation over nearly two years, not just a one-off error. He said Batra repeatedly hired workers for one role, then shifted them into another, all while paying below minimum standards and making them work excessive hours.
One worker was owed more than $16,100, while the other was short-changed more than $11,550 in wages, holiday pay and other entitlements. Perry said the unpaid sums represented essential living costs such as rent and food that the workers had lost.
He said Batra’s actions involved deliberate breaches of visa rules and employment obligations, which caused serious hardship. The sentencing, he added, was a reminder that employers who exploit workers would be held accountable.
“People come to New Zealand looking for fair opportunities,” Perry said, “and it is vital that immigration and employment laws are upheld to protect them.”