Gisborne woman sentenced after using migrants as security

Lydia Noi Edwards, sole director and shareholder of Gisborne-based company East Security Ltd, was sentenced to 90 hours of community work after pleading guilty to aiding and abetting multiple migrants to breach their visa conditions. Photo / Gisborne Herald

A Gisborne woman will serve a sentence of community service after using immigrant forestry workers as security for her company.

Lydia Noi Edwards, sole director and shareholder of East Security Ltd, was sentenced to 90 hours of community work in Gisborne District Court on Thursday last week after pleading guilty to aiding and abetting multiple migrants to breach their visa conditions.

The company, which went into liquidation in September and was later removed from the Companies Register, was fined $15,600 plus court costs for allowing the complainants to work unlawfully.

Steve Watson, general manager of immigration compliance and investigations for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, said Edwards’ sentence was the result of an Immigration investigation involving 16 complainants, all Fijian nationals.

According to MBIE, the complainants arrived in New Zealand in 2022 after Edwards secured them critical purpose visas to work for East Coast forestry contractor Abushman Contractor, a business she was also involved with.

The visas were valid for six months from first arriving in the country and allowed the complainants to work as forestry workers and planters for Abushman in Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne only.

Investigators found that shortly after arriving in New Zealand, Edwards aided and abetted the complainants to breach their visa conditions and work as security guards with East Security Ltd to supplement their employment with Abushman, knowing their visas did not allow them to undertake this work.

Edwards directed the migrants to undertake the weekend security work at major sporting events or concerts in various cities and towns, including Auckland and Tauranga.

They travelled in East Security vehicles and wore uniforms provided by the company.

The security work often involved long hours and night shifts and was performed in addition to their normal week’s work.

Watson said the sentence reinforced the message that breaching immigration law would not be tolerated and anyone doing so would be held to account.