A $96,000 penalty imposed two years ago on a company and its owner for mistreating vulnerable workers hasn’t been paid and probably never will be.

The penalty was imposed on Malcolm Herbert and his company MAH Enterprises (Fiji) Limited by the Employment Relations Authority in 2023.

Herbert, who died in February, was a prominent developer in New Zealand and Fiji, but was in financial difficulty with his companies owing creditors tens of millions of dollars.

MAH Enterprises (Fiji) Ltd. was started in 2018 and worked on construction projects in New Zealand and Fiji.

The Authority penalised Herbert $32,000, and his company $64,000 for “ongoing systemic failure as opposed to a one-off or isolated example of conduct in both MAH and Mr Herbert’s approach to basic minimum employment standards that employees can expect in New Zealand”…

MAH failed to keep wage and time and holiday and leave records, and 13 employees did not receive annual leave entitlements…

The company, which changed its name to MM Services Ltd. late last year, was put into liquidation last month following an application by an unpaid lawyer…