He worked seven days a week from noon to midnight - the payslips told a different story
A cook working 70-hour weeks at two Auckland restaurants was paid less than a fifth of what he earned.
The Employment Relations Authority ordered BlueMoonSkyNZZ Limited and its sole director Dil Barala to pay more than $238,000 in wage arrears, holiday pay, compensation and penalties. The determination, issued on October 12, 2026, found the company unjustifiably dismissed the worker and systematically underpaid him across more than two years of employment.
The numbers were not subtle. The worker received $40,442.20 in total wages for a period in which the Authority calculated he should have been paid $229,390 gross.
The worker arrived in Auckland on September 2, 2023, and started as a cook at Titirangi Indian Kitchen 23 days later. BlueMoonSkyNZZ Limited - which also operates Ambrosia Bar and Restaurant in Beachlands - is an accredited employer. The worker held a work visa tied to the company.
Barala, the company's sole director, arranged accommodation for the worker at a house in Titirangi shared with four other company employees. No roster was provided. Instead, the worker was told verbally what hours to work.
Those hours were significant. The Authority accepted the worker's evidence that he worked seven days a week during his first months, from roughly 12.30pm to 11pm daily. After about two months, the worker was granted one day off per week - either a Tuesday or Thursday.
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