‘Business menace’ accused again
A former modelling agency owner described as a ‘‘business menace’’ has become involved in a cleaning business that owes a staff member money.
Marie Angela Rea, 44, who claims to be a Maori queen and to be able to cure cancer, started advertising on Facebook for staff for Maid to Clean Services in March 2016.
Rea is also the sole director of Runway Model Management Ltd and Kingdom Property Investors Ltd.
Runway got into trouble owing a group of young models about $10,000 and was described as unprofessional in the way it operated. Kingdom Property Investors collapsed on January 29 last year.
Mother-of-four Lani Carroll, 26, signed up to Rea’s latest venture.
Carroll, who had struggled to get employment, applied for the job as soon as she saw the advertisement in November. From her first day, December 5, when she cleaned a home in Linwood with two other staff members, she felt something was not right.
‘‘There was no key first of all, then there was no power in the house and there was no cleaning products. We were waiting around while they went to the shop and got items, then we had to wait for them to get the Rug Doctor. It was just really disorganised.’’
When Carroll had worked for a week cleaning a motel, she messaged Rea the night before she was supposed to be getting her first pay on December 12. Rea explained she couldn’t pay immediately.
‘‘[She said] that the invoices hadn’t been paid so she couldn’t pay us, that the clients weren’t budging, that she had an accountant called Linda that was going around to see all the clients to make sure they paid their invoices.
‘‘It was a week before Christmas. I have four babies. That was our Christmas money and she knew that. I messaged her plenty of times telling her I can’t believe you’re doing this to me.
‘‘She knew that I really wanted to work hard to make sure they had a good Christmas.’’
To written questions from The Press, Rea said by email that she was the regional boss of Maid to Clean Services and worked for another woman and her daughter.
Paying staff was not her responsibility, she said.
The mother and daughter could not be contacted.
The owner of the motel where Carroll cleaned, who did not wish to be named, said he paid Rea via BBX, a cashless debit card and credit card currency.
Carroll, who is owed about $350, said Rea was ‘‘completely unorganised’’.
Kingdom Property Investors, which was incorporated in 2007, collapsed on January 29.
At the time, liquidator John Managh said Rea was ‘‘a business menace’’.