The Helicopter Line ordered to pay $17,740 over unjustified dismissal of Mount Cook cafe employee

What happened

The Helicopter Line, a Queenstown company, has been found by the Employment Relations Authority to have unjustly dismissed Jonathan Lovatt, a cafe assistant who worked for the company for eight months in 2024. Lovatt's employment ended in December 2024 following the closure of the Delta Tasman Cafe near Mount Cook. Authority member Antoinette Baker found the company "fell well short" of treating him fairly, rejecting THL's claim that the dismissal was a genuine redundancy. Baker determined that THL effectively blamed Lovatt for the cafe's closure after he declined to train new staff and take on other duties under a proposed self-service model, rather than following fair employment processes. Lovatt had told his manager he was burnt out three days before receiving his termination letter. The company was ordered to pay $16,000 in compensation and $1,740 in lost wages. The cafe has since reopened. This follows THL being fined $12,000 and ordered to forfeit two helicopters worth $1 million combined just two weeks earlier for its involvement in an illegal crayfish gathering operation in 2022.

Key facts

• Cafe employee Jonathan Lovatt dismissed December 2, 2024
• Lovatt worked as cafe assistant for eight months in 2024
• Employment Relations Authority awarded $16,000 compensation and $1,740 in lost wages
• Delta Tasman Cafe near Mount Cook closed then reopened
• The Helicopter Line also fined $12,000 and ordered to forfeit two helicopters in separate case

Primary source: Employment Relations Authority decision by authority member Antoinette Baker

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