A family friend says the death of a migrant worker at an Auckland workplace has destroyed a family.
A memorial service held for Jun Jiang on Monday in the suburb of Wiri was filled with tears and emotion.
The 37-year-old Chinese national came to New Zealand on a work visa to work for Auckland company SD Aluminium, in late 2022. His wife, Jia Fan, later joined her husband on a partner visa with their 8-year-old daughter.
But Jiang fell from a scissor lift while moving aluminium extrusions at the company’s Albany warehouse in December, and died last week in Auckland City Hospital.
Jiang’s wife and daughter were joined at the funeral home by Jiang’s parents, as well as Fan’s parents, aunt and uncle, and a few friends, before his body was cremated.
A friend, who was at the service but didn’t want to be named, said the incident was devastating for those involved, including Jiang’s immediate family, his parents and his in-laws.
“Jun was a very gentle and kind person. He worked hard… and took good care of the family,” she told RNZ.
She said life would be hard for the widow and the daughter and she hoped the Government would provide more help with their visa conditions and financial support.
Another family friend, who also did not wish to be named, said he was still in denial about what happened.
“Jun was an intelligent, humble, hard-working, focused man,” he said.
“He was very meticulous in what he did, very brief in what he spoke, and I was very impressed with his focus and his resolve to do things for his wife and his family.”
He said there were lessons to be learned from this incident.
“I think that if migrant workers are brought in, if anybody is brought into our house as guest, we have a responsibility to look after them,” he said.
“We have a responsibility to ensure that they are given what New Zealand boasts about — a good-quality and a safe life.”
WorkSafe said its investigation was ongoing and could take up to 12 months from the date of the incident to be completed.
In a response to RNZ on Thursday, ACC deputy chief executive of service delivery Michael Frampton said support available for a family after an accident was assessed on a case-by-case basis.
“ACC has reached out to a family representative for Jun Jiang about the support and entitlements we may be able to provide, and the family can be assured ACC will process their claim promptly,” he said.
The family planned to take Jiang’s ashes to China for a funeral.
rnz.co.nz
