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Kiwifruit worker exploitation only the tip of the iceberg

Author
Newstalk ZB staff,
Publish Date
Wed, 19 Jul 2017, 8:09AM
(NZH).

Kiwifruit worker exploitation only the tip of the iceberg

Author
Newstalk ZB staff,
Publish Date
Wed, 19 Jul 2017, 8:09AM

It's thought a widespread migrant worker exploitation discovered in the kiwifruit industry in the Bay of Plenty is only the tip of the iceberg.

A Government investigation has found more than half of Bay of Plenty's kiwifruit audited employers fail to meet the bare minimum of basic employment standards.

MORE: Kiwifruit operators shamed in damning report 

Immigration law specialist Richard Small told Larry Williams it's a long-standing problem.

"It's fairly obvious that it crops up wherever you have people that are vulnerable and desperate combined with unfortunately employers, not all it's important to say, who are willing to take advantage of that."

Sub contractors are said to be the problem with migrant worker exploitation, Mr Littlewood said, as some unscrupulous employers use middle men or middle women and the sub contractors do the employing, and they are a law unto themselves in most cases.

LISTEN ABOVE AS IMMIGRATION SPECIALIST RICHARD SMALL SPEAKS TO LARRY WILLIAMS ON THE MIKE HOSKING BREAKFAST

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