A takeaway store owner has been ordered to pay more than $36,000 for taking advantage of three migrant workers at his shop in Porirua.
Yao Wen Jiang, 41, worked his employees for up to 96 hours a week at his shop in Porirua and paid them as little as $6 an hour in 2010 and 2011.
At the Wellington District Court on Friday, Judge Barry read out statements from the three cooks from China, explaining how they had felt tired and helpless and did not understand their rights.
Jiang's lawyer John Langford told the court that, while it wasn't an excuse, his client was an otherwise good citizen who worked the same hours as his employees.
The judge fined Jiang about $20,000 and ordered him to pay a further $16,000 to the three workers.
