During the past few weeks, supermarkets and convenience stores have been exposed for docking the wages of their mainly young employees for such things as people driving off without paying for petrol, shoplifting and customers stealing trolley-loads of groceries through an elaborate ruse.
In Auckland, 11 restaurants have been fined for failing to provide employment records.
Labour Inspectorate manager David Milne says the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) staff are dealing with a growing number of cases of workplace exploitation and people in communities need to name and shame the employers.
The community needs to take responsibility by not patronising those places.
An Auckland restaurant was also recently ordered to pay $22,000 for failing to pay wages and holiday pay for migrant workers.
Equal Employment Opportunities Commission and former National MP Jackie Blue said the exploitation of migrant workers in Christchurch had been a focus for the Human Rights Commissioner.
Dr Blue says no-one can be a bystander any more.
It is everybody's problem and everyone has to take responsibility.
Most of the Queenstown investigations centre on the food and beverage sector.
The level of non-compliance identified in the resort town was described as disappointing.
Queenstown was targeted based on information received.
Problems uncovered in Queenstown include employees not receiving the minimum wage of $13.25 an hour or not receiving public or annual holiday entitlements; and employers who did not have written employment agreements.
Night 'n Day and Gull service stations have twice been identified as docking workers' wages for drive-off petrol thieves.
To his credit, Tony Allison, the chief executive of the Dunedin-headquartered Night 'n Day operation, stepped up immediately, promising to redraw employment contracts for workers.
New Zealand-owned Foodstuffs was also mired in a pay-docking scandal when it was revealed some of its Pak'n Save owners required young staff to repay debt when someone walked off without paying for groceries.
Employers were seemingly exploiting a phrase in the contract which allowed wages to be docked for dishonesty.
What was implied, but not clearly stated, was the dishonesty applied to the employee - not the customer.
Employment lawyers said the clause could not be enforced and would not stand up in any court.
But with young people being paid less than $14 an hour, what hope do they have for justice? Where do they turn for guidance? If it was not for the brave actions of one young man, the situation may never have come to light.
Motives on what has brought New Zealand to this situation where people feel they can exploit the army of underpaid need to be explored.
Of course, there are always instances of a friend prevailing on a petrol pump attendant, store employee or check-out operator to provide something for nothing.
But in one case, two older people ganged up on an inexperienced operator in an elaborate scam which involved stealing $700 of groceries.
With new labour laws being passed by the Government since the election, voters were assured only a few rogue employers would ever exploit their workers.
However, the practice seems more widespread than ever. So what about trade unions and their role in this?
Many young and exploited workers are not members of a union.
But could not the Council of Trade Unions, the overarching body for the declining union movement in New Zealand, take a stand on behalf of such vulnerable workers?
All that has come from the CTU are empty words of criticism of rogue employers.
As Dr Blue says, the problem involves everyone.
Many parents with children wanting to get some work will not want to upset a prospective employer by challenging work practices.
But Kiwis cannot become bystanders in the deplorable practice of workplace exploitation. It is time to take a stand.
