The ERA found both the company and two individuals personally liable for the breaches
A Rotorua kebab shop has been hit with more than $57,000 in penalties and remedies after a man acting on its behalf charged a migrant worker $34,000 to secure her position.
The Employment Relations Authority issued its determination on 4 March 2026 in Rimple Rimple v NZ-Kebabs Limited, the operator of NZ Kebab and Pizza House Restaurant in Rotorua. The case turned on migrant worker recruitment fees, unjustified dismissal, and the personal liability of individuals who manage hiring on behalf of an employer.
Ms Rimple was living in India in 2023 when Harpal Bal, the brother-in-law of restaurant manager Gursahib Singh Dhillon, recruited her to work as a kitchen hand. Between April and July 2023, she and relatives acting on her behalf transferred the equivalent of $34,000 into accounts held by Mr Bal's in-laws in India, with payments tied to securing her Accredited Employer Work Visa and the role itself.
WhatsApp messages between Mr Bal and Ms Rimple's sister gave the Authority a clear picture of the arrangement. In one exchange, Mr Bal said of Mr Dhillon: "he cannot give work to the girl from next week until I receive my payment."
The Authority found the company breached the Wages Protection Act 1983 by engaging Mr Bal to seek these fees as a condition of Ms Rimple's employment. That the payments were made in India and into offshore accounts was no legal barrier, as the employment agreement...
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