Protesters gathered in West Auckland demanding justice for a migrant worker who was allegedly assaulted at his workplace.
The protest, organised by the Migrant Rights Network and the Migrant Workers Association of Aotearoa, called for greater accountability and stronger protections for migrant workers in New Zealand.
The victim, Satnam Singh, was allegedly attacked at his workplace — an Auckland restaurant — on the evening of June 29.
He was reportedly later found injured on the roadside by cleaning staff in the early hours of Monday.
Singh, who held an Accredited Employer Work Visa, had been living and working in New Zealand for the past two years after migrating from Punjab, India.
“We’ve gathered here to show our support for Satnam,” said Sher Singh, a migrant advocate with the Migrant Rights Network.
He told RNZ he had been at the victim’s bedside for the past few days.
“He [Satnam] is recovering, but he’s feeling very down. He never expected something like this happening to him in a country like New Zealand.”
Anu Kaloti, president of the Migrant Workers Association NZ, said that “no one should come to work expecting to be harmed”.
“This is shocking. We do hear of workers facing minor assaults, but this-this is on another level,” she said.
The protest organisers said it was time for the government and its agencies to act by upgrading the charges to attempted murder, ensuring safer workplaces for migrant workers and abolishing the Accredited Employer Work Visa.
The work visa scheme had been under intense media scrutiny since reports emerged in 2023 that migrant workers on such visas were finding themselves destitute and jobless after paying large sums of money to relocate to New Zealand.
A 2024 Public Service Commission review found that Immigration New Zealand did not adequately assess the risk and impact of changes to speed up processing times would have on visa abuse.
The government announced major changes to the Accredited Employer Work Visa in December 2024, but a union advocate told RNZ the reforms still left migrant workers vulnerable to exploitation.
Singh was recovering after surgery at Auckland City Hospital.
A 26-year-old man has been arrested and charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
The man was expected to appear in Waitākere District Court on Tuesday.
rnz.co.nz