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A former gardener at Kim Dotcom’s Queenstown mansion claims he is owed more than $35,000 for his work.
Queenstown gardener Mike Hawthorne has accused Dotcom’s property management company of withholding payments and unusual working conditions after working on the tech entrepreneur’s sprawling multimillion-dollar property at Glenorchy, overlooking Lake Wakatipu.
Dotcom, however, disputes the claims, saying their property management team has “great relations with dozens of contractors”.
Following the breakdown of their working relationship, Hawthorne posted to Facebook asking if other contractors had issues dealing with Dotcom.
Hawthorne posted to social media following the alleged breakdown of his working relationship with Dotcom. Image / Facebook
Two other contractors have also spoken to the Herald claiming to have had unsatisfactory dealings with Dotcom’s property management company and alleging odd working conditions, including claims of having to remain silent for hours in the daytime to avoid disturbing Dotcom’s sleep.
In response, Dotcom said: “Obviously I don’t want the lawns to be done when I’m sleeping.”
Dotcom said he was aware of the dispute with Hawthorne, but doubted there was merit to the claims of any others.
“I owe [Hawthorne] nothing because I’m not a party to his agreement. I know there is a dispute about his hourly rate. He was offered $50 per hour. After his contractor role was terminated because of poor performance he demanded $85 per hour and threatened to go to the media,” he said.
Dotcom said his total interaction with the gardener was “at most 20 minutes,” as the work was managed by the property manager.
Hawthorne, who was previously landscape manager at Remarkables Park in Queenstown and collection curator at the Auckland Botanic Gardens, is self-employed and says his services were enlisted after sending his credentials in response to a job advertisement.
Kim Dotcom. Photo / NZME
The advert promised attractive perks, including vehicle access, accommodation and staff meals, Hawthorne claimed.
However, after two-and-a-half months of work, there was a dispute over money.
Hawthorne said his initial agreement with the property management company was verbal.
“After I sent him my credentials, he called me pretty much straight away and asked me to come up for an interview, which I did.
“I said I was on $55 per hour wages at my last job, which I left to work for Kim. Kim told me he wanted me to contract to him, so I charged him $75 per hour plus GST”
Hawthorne said he also offered a 10% discount for his first month of work in October last year, but alleged that after this was not paid, he left the November and December invoices at $75.
Hawthorne said he left his previous employer, and set up a business in order to be contracted to Dotcom.
“When I invoiced [Dotcom’s property management], [they] refused to pay it, insisting we had agreed on $50 an hour, which was not true.”
In March this year, Liz Dotcom offered him $24,397.55 for his and his team’s October work and expense reimbursements, but was told this would not be paid until “correct and final” invoices for November and December were received.
Dotcom denied there could be any confusion over the verbal agreement, which he said was in front of witnesses.
“It’s a case of a disgruntled contractor who’s trying to blackmail us through the media,” he told the Herald.
Hawthorne also claims he was denied access to basic facilities like toilets on the property.
“I have ulcerative colitis, and he wouldn’t let me use the toilet in the house. I had to make do with what I could,” Hawthorne said.
Hawthorne said that, due to his condition, he had to dig a hole to answer nature’s call in at the bottom of the garden - an incident Dotcom referred to in a social media post.
Summer is coming. We are looking for a new gardener who doesn’t shit in our gardens, doesn’t destroy our lavender and doesn’t bring his non-gardener boyfriend without permission to our property to ruin our lawns. We offer $50 an hour (as usual). Apply to the email in my profile.
Dotcom disputes Hawthorne’s version of events. “I was told access to a bathroom was available,” Dotcom said.
Dotcom said he posted to his social media about the dispute in response to Hawthorne’s earlier Facebook post, which he claimed was an attempt at intimidation.
“A day later I made the dispute public on X and asked my audience to vote. Eighty-nine per cent voted against paying the overcharge,” he said.
Dotcom said based on legal advice, Hawthorne’s invoice was being reviewed, “and will be paid at the agreed rate just like his other invoices”.
Since posting publicly about his experience, Hawthorne claims he was contacted by other tradespeople.
One contractor, who wishes to remain anonymous, told the Herald they received a delayed payment after nearly six months.
“The point of contact was [a staff member] who passed information to Liz [Dotcom, Kim’s wife]. The second job was paid on time, but we couldn’t get anyone to respond regarding the first invoice.”
The contractor says they tried to follow up on the payment, but claims communication with Dotcom’s staff became difficult.
“The contact number we had for Liz just stopped working, and when we tried to email, we didn’t get any replies,” they said.
The contractor’s partner eventually contacted Liz over social media, which led to the situation being resolved.
“Liz managed to get her accountant to double-check everything, and we finally got paid. But the delay was frustrating ... I wasn’t expecting to be paid, and then suddenly it came through.”
The contractor said they did not meet Kim, but that Liz was “nice and professional” in person and they had no other problems.
Another contractor, who also wishes to remain anonymous, said they had several issues with payment and the working environment.
The contractor, who says they were hired for a two-week trial period that required a two-hour commute, said he offered to do the work at a discounted rate.
After two weeks, they say they were replaced by someone who undercut their price - and there was a dispute over the final invoice, they alleged.
The contractor also described what they found to be an unusual working environment.
“There were so many rules. We weren’t allowed to make any noise between 11am and 5pm, which was ridiculous for a gardener dealing with weed eaters,” they said.
The contractor also believed there was a lack of basic facilities for workers, claiming there were no toilets available during the job.
