New Zealand First office attacked

The New Zealand First office on. Cameron Rd near 17th Ave Photo by John Borren

Kiwifruit was squashed and smeared over Winston Peter's campaign photo on the front window of New Zealand First's Tauranga office in Cameron Rd.

Margaret Wilson was confronted with the mess when she arrived this morning to open the office in the shopping block between 16th Ave and 17th Ave.

New Zealand First's Tauranga candidate Clayton Mitchell's first thought was that it was retribution to him revealing allegations of Fijians being duped after being lured to work on kiwifruit orchards in the Western Bay.

However Mrs Wilson said the neighbouring cafe had banana smeared over its windows so it seemed less likely to be a revenge attack.

She said the kiwifruit was smeared over the picture of Mr Peters and the poster advertising his campaign rally in Tauranga's Red Square today - nearly the whole lower part of the office window.

The Bay of Plenty Times in an exclusive story revealed today how Immigration New Zealand was investigating a potential case of exploitation in which Fijians lured to work in Bay kiwifruit orchards were alleged to have received vastly inferior pay and living conditions than what had been promised.

Mr Mitchell, who took up the case for the Fijians, said they walked into his office two weeks ago to tell their story which began when they answered an advertisement in the Fiji Sun offering orchard work in New Zealand. They were promised they could earn $15 to $17 per hour but claim to have ended up with $190 in their hand after six weeks work.