A Hastings man's attempt to have his slavery and people trafficking convictions overturned has been dismissed by the Court of Appeal.
Photo: RNZ / Hamish Cardwell
Joseph Auga Matamata, now 66, was convicted in March in 2020 for bringing 13 Samoans to New Zealand and exploiting them for more than two decades. He was sentenced to 11 years in jail.
In April, Matamata appealed the conviction arguing the trial judge had misled the jury over what constituted slavery, while the Crown also appealed his sentence saying it was too lenient.
In a reserved judgement released today, Justices Miller, Clifford and Collins dismissed Matamata's appeal.
They also dismissed the Crown's bid to increase the Samoan chief's 11-year sentence, but ruled he must serve at least five years in prison.
They agreed with the Crown's argument that Matamata's sentence was too lenient, but said it was justified given his age, health and the fact he paid his victims compensation.
Immigration New Zealand general manager verification and compliance Geoff Scott said the court's decision reinforced the serious nature of this type of offending and showed it would not be tolerated.
"We believe it is important that the bar is set high for this type of offending and that future offenders face the toughest possible punishment - we're pleased that the court's decision reinforces this," Scott said.
"This case shows us that human trafficking happens in New Zealand to all kinds of different people. We all have a role to play in fighting this type of offending and we encourage everyone to watch out for this and other type of unlawful behaviour, and report it to authorities."
Scott thanked the victims who shared their stories, took a stand and helped bring Matamata to justice.