Searing temperatures in the workplace saw Kaikohe fast food workers take seriously the old adage "if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen".
Seven staff from McDonald's family restaurant in Kaikohe took to the town's main street yesterday to protest after having spent weeks working in a kitchen where they say temperatures at times climbed to 38C because of a broken-down air conditioning unit.
The store's franchise owner Paul Wright said he was disappointed at the staff's action.
At midday yesterday, five of them walked out when Mr Wright arrived from the Kerikeri McDonald's he also owns.
Shouting their complaints through megaphones and holding placards, they were joined by two workers who were not rostered on duty. The protest seemed to touch a nerve with passers-by, many of whom tooted and voiced support.