Vineyards have been warned to take a good look at their supply chains after a Hawke's Bay labour contracting firm run by Destiny Church members was fined $30,000 for failing to pay 12 RSE workers.
The Labour Inspectorate approached the Employment Relations Authority on behalf of 12 Papua New Guinea (PNG) citizens hired by ICM Horticultural Contracting Limited to work on Te Mata Estate in Hawke's Bay for no pay.
The ERA heard that Martha Fretton, the owner-operator of ICM, was under the impression she was training to the group of 12 workers, so they could learn about working on vineyards as part of a "Global Exposure" programme.
Fretton sent invoices to the vineyard and billed Te Mata $25,887 for the work provided by the group.
Te Mata paid Fretton the amount, but she did not pay the workers.Fretton has now been ordered to pay $30,000 in penalties for a total of 60 employment standards breaches and what the ERA has labelled as "gross negligence".