An opportunity to work in New Zealand fast turned sour for a group of workers from Papua New Guinea, who arrived to long hours and little pay, a jury has heard.

One worker allegedly received $106 for a six-day week in an alleged rort that involved members of the group working at a Hawke's Bay vineyard and Cambridge nursery in 2016.

Waikato couple Antony Swarbrick and Christina Kewa-Swarbrick have pleaded not guilty to 99 charges of aiding and abetting people to unlawfully enter New Zealand, aiding them to breach their visa conditions, and giving false information to immigration.

And Martha Fretton, the owner of a company who contracted the workers out, pleaded not guilty to 12 charges of aiding people to breach visa conditions.

The trio's trial, which is set down for five weeks, began in Hamilton District Court on Monday before Judge Robert Spear.

Crown prosecutor Kaleb Whyte said, in his opening statement, the Swarbricks ran a scheme that took advantage of 16 vulnerable workers for financial gain.

'Together the [Swarbricks] organised for 16 Papua New Guinea nationals to travel here where they would work long hours for very little payment.

'The defendants were all better off, but the Papua New Guinea workers were not.”

What began as excitement about the once in a lifetime opportunity quickly turned to disappointment, Whyte said.

One person earnt only $106 for a six-day week's worth of work.

The workers were told they were coming to New Zealand as part of a Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme, and would be paid NZ$15 an hour.

Whyte said name of the programme changed before they left Papua New Guinea, but the workers had the same expectations.

Fretton's business provided workers for a vineyard in Hawke's Bay and she became involved with 12 of the Papua New Guinea workers.

She invoiced and received money from the company, but the workers didn't get all their earnings.

'[The defendants used] these vulnerable hardworking people to enrich themselves,” Whyte said.

Some also worked at a nursery in Cambridge.

Antony Swarbrick is charged with aiding and abetting 16 people to complete a visa application knowing the information to be false and misleading between April 26 and May 6 in 2016 in Papua New Guinea.

He faces another 16 charges of supplying false and misleading information to an immigration officer between April 4 and May 6 in 2016 in Hamilton.

Swarbrick is also charged with aiding and abetting 16 people to unlawfully enter New Zealand and then to breach the conditions of their visa between June 8 and August 10 in 2016.

His wife Christina Kewa-Swarbrick pleaded not guilty to 35 charges. She is accused of aiding three people to complete a visa application knowing the information was false or misleading on or about April 27 in 2016.

She also faces 16 charges of aiding and abetting people to unlawfully enter New Zealand between April 25 and June 10 in 2016, and 16 charges of aiding people to breach the conditions of their visa between June 8 and August 10 in 2016.

Martha Fretton faces 12 charges of aiding people to breach the conditions of their visa between July 24 and August 10 in 2016.

-Rachel Moore/Stuff.