Workers ran reception 98 hours weekly but were generally paid for only 40 hours
A Christchurch motel owner has been sentenced to seven and a half months' home detention for exploiting four migrant workers who were made to work up to 98 hours a week while generally being paid for only 40.
Jian Li, owner and operator of Fei Huang Teng Da Ltd, which trades as 315 Motel Riccarton, was sentenced in the Christchurch District Court on 28 October, according to Immigration New Zealand (INZ).
The sentence came after he pleaded guilty to seven migrant exploitation charges under the Immigration Act 2009.
Li's counsel had argued for community detention, but this was declined given the seriousness of the offending, INZ said.
The company itself was sentenced earlier, on 29 May, while Li was out of the country. It also pleaded guilty to seven migrant exploitation charges and was ordered to pay NZ$115,077.26 in reparations.
The case involved four migrant workers employed as motel managers between February 2017 and December 2021. Three remain in New Zealand on valid work visas, while the fourth has since left the country.
According to INZ, the workers were required to live on-site and effectively run the motel, including staffing reception from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. every day of the week.
Although they worked between 84 and 98 hours each week, they were generally paid for only 40 hours.
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