Owner of dangerous migrant village in old bingo hall agrees to close it

Monday, 24 June 2019

Fire egress was identified as an issue in this Manurewa warehouse where 22 prefab cabins have been erected as bedrooms for migrant workers.

A migrant worker village in a former bingo hall will close, forcing the relocation of dozens of Filipinos using 22 cabins as sleeping quarters.

Last week inspectors found serious fire risks at the Maich Rd property, prompting Auckland Council to issue a dangerous building notice, and an abatement notice ordering it to cease operating as an unconsented boarding house.

Owner Paul Knight said he had told all his tenants notice to leave by July 19, including some private tenants and Filipino migrant workers placed there through recruitment company Radius Contracting.

Because it was impossible to make the necessary changes within the 30 days required by the council, he was closing the place down until he could get resource consent, a process expected to take some months.

* Shameful exploitation of vulnerable migrant workers

Migrant workers have been paying $200 a week for bedrooms like this, but they are being moved on after Auckland Council ruled the accommodation posed a serious fire risk.

* Better pay and more support for migrant builders

* Shocks in store for migrant workers in NZ unless rebuild lessons learned**

The owner of this Manurewa building says he may allow some former tenants to sleep in their cars in the car park and use showers inside if they have nowhere else to go when he shuts the accommodation.

'Two [of my tenants] have left and I believe they are living in cars again.'

Knight said that if necessary he could let tenants sleep in their cars in the adjoining car park and use showers in the building.

'They've go nowhere to go so it's safer in my yard where it's locked up.

A Fire and Emergency spokesman said in the event of a fire, there was potential for injury or loss of life because of the way the building was laid out.

But Knight said he believed he had consent for up to 38 people to live in the warehouse which was fitted with more than 100 heat and smoke sensors.

'I've put an extra 30-odd in, but before that there were still stacks of heat detectors linked to a central system and emergency lights, but they're saying that's not good enough.'

The council is continuing investigations into allegations of illegal building work at the site and said it was working with the Ministry of Social Development to help find emergency housing for tenants.

Radius Contracting director Mark Hubble said tup to 35 migrant workers lived at Maich Rd and over the next week or two they would be moved into other Auckland housing the company had access to.

'We're ready for it, we can take the guys out.'

He said he was unaware of any fire safety issues until the council took action.

'We tenanted the place , we were told we could put 38 people in there, we had consents and we were fine. At the end of the day if the landlord is in breach in any way then it's his problem and we will out to avoid the issue.'

Radius had arranged for the prefab cabins to be erected inside the warehouse 18 months ago, and if Knight did not want to buy them, the company could remove them and sell them, Hubble said.