Old bingo hall housing migrant workers in cabins labelled dangerous

Friday, 21 June 2019

Some Auckland migrant workers ended up living in a warehouse. (Video first published June 2019).

Auckland Council has served a dangerous building notice on a former bingo hall housing dozens of migrant workers in 22 indoor cabins after it was found to pose serious fire risks.

Council inspectors, fire safety officers and Tenancy Services visited the Maich Rd property on Monday and found the warehouse, allegedly operating as an unconsented boarding house for migrant workers, had been modified to accommodate large numbers of people.

Council regulatory compliance manager Steve Pearce said the owner agreed to immediately install more smoke alarms and appoint fire wardens, but a second visit on Wednesday uncovered further serious fire risks which made the building too dangerous to occupy, and an abatement notice was issued requiring the boarding house to close within 30 days.

Filipino migrants living in the prefab cabins told Stuff 60 people lived in the warehouse which was cold, crowded and expensive, with no hot water, proper heating or laundry facilities.

The recruitment company that set up the indoor cabins says they are warm and secure, and much better than 'grotty' inner city hostels with no natural light.

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Recruitment company Radius Contracting arranged installation of the 22 prefab cabins 18 months ago, and director Mark Hubble said the council findings were 'a bit of a shock' because he believed the accommodation was warm, safe and good value for the $200 a week the workers each paid in rent.

Filipino migrant workers pay $200 a week rent for cabin bedrooms like this one.

He said they would terminate the tenancy if the issues could not be resolved by the 30 day deadline and had alternative accommodation for the workers to shift to if necessary.

A council investigation into allegedly illegal building work is continuing but Hubble said he did not believe they needed consent to erect the prefab sleeping units inside the warehouse which has two shared kitchens and a games room.

First Union, the umbrella organisation for the Union Network of Migrants, had asked officials to investigate the Maich Rd accommodation, and general secretary Dennis Maga said the case highlighted the need for regulation of 'pastoral care' provided for vulnerable migrant workers.

Stuff spoke to six workers at the site on Monday evening all of whom insisted on remaining anonymous.

They were unhappy with the living conditions and the fact the wi-fi was unable to cope with the numbers trying to use it, making it difficult to communicate with friends and family in the Philippines.

Hubble said the custom-made insulated units each housed two men in separate lockable bedrooms that were furnished with new beds, linen and towels.

Do you know more? contact amanda.cropp@stuff.co.nz

Residents told Stuff 60 people lived in cabins inside this South Auckland warehouse. It has been served with dangerous building and abatement notices and has 30 days to sort out fire safety issues.

They had initially planned to accommodate 44 workers at the site, but there were only ever 30 to 35 workers living there, as it was used as a transit place for new arrivals.

The communal area had a commercial heater, workers could use bar heaters in their rooms, and there were six to eight toilets, and a similar number of showers with hot water.

Laundry facilities were removed following problems with workers all wanting to use them on a Sunday, and they were happy to use nearby laundrettes, Hubble said.

While the style of accommodation may not suit 'a normal Kiwi', residents had not complained, and although they were free to leave after a month, few did so.

'A lot of them have been working in areas like the mines in Australia or Kuwait. They have accommodation that's pretty grotty and they live in a room with eight different guys, that's pretty awful.'

Landlord and property owner Paul Knight said the building was 'fully compliant' for up to 38 residents and advice from his fire engineers was at odds with that from the council but he hoped it could be resolved.

He lived upstairs with his family and there were about six other tenants in a separate part of the complex. 'If I thought it was dangerous, I wouldn't be there with my kids. '

*Additional reporting by John Anthony