More than a dozen Fijian nationals were lured to New Zealand under false promises of high wages but were forced to work for little or no money.
46-year-old Faroz Ali has denied 15 counts of trafficking people to New Zealand and 16 counts of aiding and abetting people to enter or remain in the country unlawfully.
His trial began yesterday in the High Court at Auckland.
It is just the second time a human trafficking case has reached trial in New Zealand.
Yesterday afternoon Crown prosecutor Luke Clancy told the court that Ali had scammed 15 Fijian nationals and had "deliberately and repeatedly flouted the law".
The court heard that Ali's wife and sister‑in‑law both lived in Suva, running travel agencies in the capital and advertising New Zealand working holiday schemes.
Clancy says the purpose was to recruit illegal workers to be taken to New Zealand and used either by Ali himself or his associate.
The advertisements promised approved applicants the chance to work in New Zealand for wages of $17 NZ per hour.
They were also promised working visas and accommodation.
Clancy adds that in return the agencies charged the workers hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars.
When the Fijians arrived in New Zealand, throughout 2014 and 2015, they found the work was different to what they had expected.
They were made to work in Ali's business in Papatoetoe, or were sent to Tauranga.
It is alleged that the workers were paid little ‑ if they were paid at all ‑ and were housed in crowded conditions which they were made to pay for.
The working visas they were promised were non‑existent and the workers were given visitors' visas which had no provisions for work.
The first group of Fijians to arrive in New Zealand were sent to the Bay of Plenty to work almost immediately but after a week of working there, one witness, described as "not easily trifled with" by Clancy, began asking for her wages.
Ali's associate, who was managing the workers in Tauranga, was said to have claimed the workers in fact owed him money for food, accommodation and the cost of travel to and from work.
In the meantime Ali knew the workers were toiling illegally, and he allegedly encouraged them to renew their visitors' visas when they expired.
Yesterday, after the jury was selected, Ali admitted 18 charges of underpaying workers, and eight charges of aiding and abetting workers to breach the conditions of their visa.
All the 15 Fijian workers will give evidence, as well as another worker who was an illegal overstayer.
Source: stuff.co
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