The 15 men went to the island two years ago after being promised work but they were the victims of an immigration scam.
They paid two Indian men between $16,313 and $28,339 to go to Niue and were told they would get land and earn lots of money as farmers.
“He told us there is everything, big factories machines he said this is not different to New Zealand,” said Val Want Singh, one of the Indian workers.
Instead what the men found was that work had dried up and they now live in a shanty run down house.
There are no bathrooms and the floors are just mud. They even have to go and collect wood to cook food in an open fire.
ONE News understands that the New Zealand government is extremely concerned at human rights breaches and has placed heavy pressure on the Niuean government to sort the problem out.
“We’ve made it very clear that it’s completely unacceptable over quite a period of time. I’ve personally raised it, the ministers have raised it, officials have raised it,” Clark said.
The message does appear to be getting through.
“We’d like to work with the New Zealand government as well and the International Organization for Migrants to see what we can do to assist these people,” Niue Premier Toke Talagi said.
But the men said they cannot go home empty handed and want New Zealand to help them get their money back.
The local Niuean agent responsible for bringing the men into the island denies it was a scam.
Maru Talagi said he was expecting experienced farmers to work on his 300 acres and the men weren’t.
Talagi said he has not made any money on them, but rather put a lot of money in getting them to Niue.
In the meantime, for the men from India, their nightmare continues and unless they get their money back they can only dream of going home.
