10 Labour Inspectors were involved in the operation on 30 January, supported by a team from Immigration New Zealand who were verifying conditions of accredited employers, providing education on visa and accreditation requirements and checking for any potential migrant exploitation.
“The Hamilton operation, dubbed Operation Atoll, was the first phase of an ongoing long-term initiative throughout the central North Island focusing on the retail and hospitality sector,” says Simon Humphries, Head of the Labour Inspectorate.
“Our team will be conducting compliance visits to selected retail and hospitality businesses in Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay, Manawatū-Whanganui, Taranaki and Wellington.”
Mr Humphries, who joined the inspectors during the visits in Hamilton, said while there were positive signs employers were complying with their minimum employment obligations, or wanted to be compliant, there were others who needed to make improvements to their employment practices, for example, apparent issues with record keeping.
“Our inspectors will continue to engage with these businesses, assessing the information requested and following up with them to ensure they become compliant if they are found not to be.”
He said while the operation is primarily focused on checking compliance at businesses, the MBIE regulatory teams will also seek to educate employers and employees about their rights and responsibilities regarding minimum employment standards.
“During the Hamilton phase of the operation, it was encouraging to find employers who were eager to learn what improvements they could make to their employment practices. Some also expressed gratitude that our inspectors were in their area to clamp down on businesses who tried to take unfair advantage by skirting the law.
“At this stage, the checks are ongoing, and we will not be providing any updates until such time as all the information collected has been assessed,” Mr Humphries says.
MBIE encourages anyone who thinks they or someone else is being exploited in the workplace to contact our service centre where their concerns will be handled safely. To report a case of migrant exploitation, contact the MBIE exploitation reporting line 0800 200 088 or the MBIE contact centre, 0800 20 90 20.