New Zealand's first conviction for human trafficking is being labelled the tip of the iceberg.

Faroz Ali was yesterday convicted of the offence at the High Court in Auckland.

Ali was behind a scam where Fijian workers were paid to come here, and then made to work illegally in substandard conditions.

Migration lawyer Richard Small told Mike Hosking he hears stories like this too often.

"I can't give any numbers, but even a few cases like this are a nightmare and I suspect there's quite a few others."