PHOTO: Rrahul Dosshi is the managing director of Porse and Rainbow Corner childcare centres in New Zealand. SUPPLIED
According to STUFF the owners of an early education company struggling to pay its staff on time have sold the business to another early-childcare operator as their problems appear to worsen.
Aucklanders bought Porse, which provides a home-based early childcare service throughout the country, four years ago, and set about restructuring it to cut costs.
The operation employs staff to support a network of what used to be about 1000 educators who use their own home to care for up to four children.
The educators are not employees but contract to Porse.
The Dosshis also own a chain of about 15 Rainbow Corner childcare centres around New Zealand.
Last year Porse staff started to experience problems with getting their pay on time and before Christmas educators and Rainbow Corner staff were also affected.
Staff, including Rainbow Corner personnel, had noticed a lack of funds for resources and staff costs such as toilet paper, during the year.
In recent weeks, educators have left Porse “in droves”, a former staff member said.
The company derives its revenue from fees paid by parents and Ministry of Education subsidies.
In late December the ministry suspended nine Porse licences after complaints about breaches of regulations and is waiting for Porse’s response.
This week Porse was again late in paying staff who normally receive their wages on Tuesday.
Rrahul, who blamed his bank, sent staff a screenshot purportedly of an email from BNZ apologising for the glitch.
The BNZ would not comment due to its privacy policy, but other sources said it was a fake and no glitch had occurred.
The other shock for staff over the last few weeks was the announcement that Porse had been sold to No-1 Homecare, a company owned by Huimin Chu and Brett Morris, of Rosedale in Auckland.
According to Education Review Office reports in 2020, the company was licensed for 80 children, most of whom were the children of Chinese immigrants.
