A former contractor for Zirka Circus - the business where six children were uplifted over allegations of exploitation - believes the young Chinese acrobats there were treated "like slaves".
He claims children worked day and night, with some getting upset amid threats they'd be "sent back to China".
And he says the circus was dangerously run - information verified by WorkSafe years later, when they temporarily stopped the circus from operating over safety issues.
The man, who's a trained engineer, worked as a forward booking agent for Zirka Circus in 2010.
"It was just so, so horrible," he told Newshub.
The job didn't last long. After four months he says he quit because he was upset by what he saw.
"In my opinion, and I'm not an expert, but they [the young acrobats] were treated like slaves," he told Newshub.
He said the performers were young. When not on stage, he saw them training or helping set up or pack down tents for the next show.
"We saw on several occasions little kids crying because they'd been threatened to be sent home back to China," he said.
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He "absolutely" thinks the owners put commercial profitability ahead of child welfare. He said on one occasion, the children's accommodation caravans did not arrive at a site when on tour in Gore. So children slept outside overnight under a truck trailer.
He says he complained to authorities, including WorkSafe and Child, Youth & Family - nothing happened. But former circus owners Jeni and Judy Hou deny all allegations made by our source.
In a statement, a lawyer for the former owners suggested our informant was a "disgruntled" former employee whose contract was terminated by the owners. We were referred to another former worker, a truck driver for the circus.
He told Newshub the kids were "well looked after", had their own cook and he "didn't see anything untoward".
And the former owners reject claims their operation was dangerous.
But information obtained by Newshub suggests otherwise. Official information shows in January 2021, WorkSafe issued the circus owners with two prohibition notices, which prevented them from using tents and machinery.
"So a prohibition notice which prohibits the use of, or any work activity continuing is a serious matter," said WorkSafe inspectorate head Simon Humphries.
WorkSafe said that the circus' Bobcat lacked maintenance records, and ratchets used to erect the marque were corroded.
While these issues were rectified, WorkSafe noted other concerns about the use of what they call "vulnerable workers".
"The operating environment and the work that young children were undertaking, and their living conditions did concern us," Humphries said.
Living conditions were also a concern to our source, who said the caravans that he saw were cramped and not fit for a child.
"We used to look at them and compare them to battery-caged hens," he said. "They had young children driving machinery."
Newshub revealed last week that the children came here on entertainment work visas, a category that does not require any form of well-being oversight or education of young people. The Immigration Minister's now considering visa changes.
"I haven't received that formal advice yet but I do expect it before Christmas," Michael Wood said.
But the message from this former worker is clear: don't wait, act now.
The Family Court file relating to Oranga Tamariki’s investigation and uplift, details information about the health of the children.
Most had been working in New Zealand for four years. Documents say some in the group had to undergo "urgent" dental treatment once in Oranga Tamariki's care.
Another girl, aged 11 when she arrived in New Zealand, broke both her wrists while performing.
She told her lawyer that after her casts came off she was told to perform two days later.
The Children's Commissioner Judge Francis Eivers told Newshub she's "very pleased" that the Minister for Immigration is considering visa rule changes.
"New Zealanders must have confidence that all appropriate checks and balances are in place to ensure any child coming into this country is safe, and cared for," she told Newshub.
