A Levin poultry company has been fined $7500 for employing five Samoan nationals in New Zealand without a visa.
Henry's Poultry Ltd was also pinged for hiring another person who was working on a visitor's visa. The company was convicted of six offences under the Immigration act 2009.
On December 9, the company was sentenced and ordered to pay a $7500 fine and court costs of $780. The people found to be working unlawfully have either been deported, left New Zealand voluntarily or regularised their status.
Immigration New Zealand general manager Peter Devoy said different industry sectors were constantly monitored for unlawful employment practices. "This should serve as a warning to other businesses who may feel tempted to break the law," he said.
"It is unacceptable for employers to employ foreign nationals who are unlawfully in New Zealand or do not have a visa to work in here. There are no excuses."
New Zealand businesses have a legal responsibility to ensure that their employees are legally entitled to work for them. INZ is in regular touch with employers to ensure they understand their obligations.
Mr Devoy encouraged Kiwi employers to use INZ's online tool VisaView to check whether a person who is not a New Zealand citizen is able to work for them.
"We encourage anyone with any information about overseas workers working illegally to get in touch with us so that we can investigate and take any appropriate action," he said.