Factory work too much for German tourist, who was fired after walking off the production line. (File photo)

A German tourist's vengeful text message about a "little present" for his former boss has forced his parents to remortgage their house to pay for his mistake.

Maximillian Christian Zucker​, 21, was "upset and angry" after being fired from a milk powder processing factory near Blenheim, and told his boss he "left a little present" in their latest batch of milk powder.

The message forced the company to dump a whole export shipment, and Zucker was charged with using false information to cause commercial disruption and major economic loss.

His family back in Germany had to remortgage their home so Zucker could pay $40,000 towards the company's $190,000 losses - but Zucker had spent half of that waiting for his sentencing.

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﻿Zucker was told at the Blenheim District Court on Tuesday to pay the $19,000 he had left within four working days.

STUFF Maximillian Christian Zucker, 21, sent an angry text message to his boss after he was fired. (File photo)

His lawyer Laurie Murdoch said Zucker was working at the end of the production line, boxing packages of milk powder for export last October.

But the speed of the automated production line was too fast for him and he believed he was doing the work of two people, Murdoch said.

"He was running around and being really overworked," she said.

"He left the factory one day because it was too much, it was too hard. When he came back, that's when he was told he was no longer required. He got in the car and made the stupid mistake of sending this text message."

The text message said he "left a little present in the last production" of milk powder. "Have fun," Zucker wrote.

The message kicked off a contamination procedure as required by the Ministry for Primary Industries.

An export shipment was cancelled and the whole batch of milk powder was destroyed, a police summary of facts said.

Zucker sent a second text message 30 minutes later, retracting the first message, but it was too late, the summary said.

The total cost of a missed shipment, a day spent dumping the product and trying to catch up on time lost was close to $190,000, the company said.

Zucker told police he felt overworked and used by his employer, and wanted his bosses to feel how he felt.

He did not actually put anything in the milk powder, he said.

Zucker denied a charge of intending to cause a significant disruption to commercial activity in New Zealand by communicating false information likely to cause major economic loss.

Police later amended the charge to causing loss by deception, which Zucker admitted on Tuesday.

Murdoch said Zucker was not able to access the part of the factory where the milk powder was processed before packaging.

"The factory is under constant video surveillance. I don't know why they made the decision to throw away everything after that period when they could have just looked at the video.

"But Mr Zucker accepts that's a consequence of his bad decision."

Zucker was willing to meet with his former boss for a restorative justice meeting, but would rather be sentenced straight away, so he could go home and stop using his parents' money for expenses, Murdoch said.

"He's going to get nowhere near paying the cost. The victim can still pursue him through the civil channels if they so choose," Murdoch said.

Zucker had no previous convictions.

This conviction would be a penalty in itself, likely preventing his return to New Zealand and potentially affecting his future career prospects, Murdoch said.

He had a job interview at investment banking firm Deutsche Bank when he returned to Germany, she said.

Crown prosecutor Sefton Revell said the text message risked damage to the country's reputation for clean export milk products.

Revell asked that the company's name be suppressed to protect its reputation from any more damage.

Judge Bill Hastings said the offending was "one expensive text message".

He read two character references that described Zucker as a "sensible young person" with "a good understanding of the world around him".

"But the severely aggravated offending ... strikes to the heart of one of New Zealand's most valued export products, and the heart of a reputation New Zealand works hard to maintain."

He granted the company final name suppression, but refused Zucker's application for final name suppression.

A person had to prove "extreme hardship" would be caused by publication of their name, and Zucker's claim it could affect his ability to find work was "a hardship to be expected", Judge Hastings said.