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An Indian national and New Zealand permanent resident, Gaurav Batra, was sentenced to fines totalling $13,000, on Monday 18 August 2025, in the Hamilton District Court after pleading guilty to 2 immigration and employment offences. The charges relate to knowingly allowing 2 migrant workers to undertake employment they were not legally allowed to do.
In addition to the sentencing, Batra agreed to repay $27,660 in arrears to the affected individuals. This was agreed and completed prior to the court appearance.
“These individuals came to New Zealand seeking fair employment” says Jason Perry, National Manager Investigations. “Instead, they were placed in roles that did not align with their visa conditions and were not paid in accordance with minimum employment standards.”
“These 2 individuals were hired to work in Hamilton kebab shops operated by GSK Company Limited but were also directed to perform cleaning duties across multiple other sites.”
This was work not covered by their visas.
Batra was responsible for hiring, rostering, paying employees and maintaining required records on behalf of GSK Company Ltd. The company failed to maintain accurate wage and time records, particularly for cleaning duties, and misrepresented the nature of the workers’ roles.
“This wasn’t a one-off mistake,” Mr Perry says. “It was a sustained pattern of behaviour over nearly 2 years — hiring workers for one job, then directing them to do another, all while underpaying them and making them work excessive hours.”
One individual was owed more than $16,100, and the other more than $11,550 in unpaid wages, holiday pay, and other statutory obligations.
“That’s not just a number, that’s costs for daily living — rent and food, lost” says Mr Perry.
Mr Perry says “Batra’s offending involved deliberate and sustained breaches of visa conditions and employment obligations, resulting in significant hardship for the workers involved.”
“This sentencing reinforces the importance of compliance with immigration and employment laws. Employers who breach these laws and fail to meet their obligations will be held to account for the harm they cause to individuals who come to New Zealand seeking fair work opportunities.”
MBIE continues to take a strong stance to ensuring compliance with immigration and employment legislation and holding individuals accountable for breaches of immigration and employment law.
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