Samoan chief

Joseph Auga Matamata, 66, a chief, was convicted in March 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, he appealed his convictions arguing the trial judge had misled the jury over what constituted slavery, while the Crown appealed his sentence, saying it was too lenient.

But the Court of Appeal dismissed his bid in August. They also dismissed the Crown's bid to increase the man's 11-year sentence, but ruled he must serve at least five years in prison.

The Hastings-based Samoan chief, Joseph Auga Matamata, was last month sentenced to 11 years in prison for illegally bringing 13 Samoans to New Zealand and exploiting them over a 25-year period.

"The Crown has filed an appeal against the sentence imposed on Mr Matamata. The Crown challenges both the length of the sentence as manifestly inadequate and the absence of a minimum period of imprisonment," Crown Law said.

Separately, Matamata's lawyers have filed an appeal against his conviction.

Hastings-based Samoan chief, Joseph Auga Matamata brought 13 Samoan workers to Hastings between 1994 and April 2019.

They sometimes worked 14-hour days, seven days a week, without pay, the court was told during the trial earlier this year.

After work they were forced to complete chores at Matamata's home late into the night and would get beaten if his rules were disobeyed.

Matamata was found guilty of 10 charges in human trafficking and 13 charges in dealing in slaves, and acquitted of one trafficking charge.

Joseph Auga Matamata, 65, was acquitted on one charge of trafficking.

The jury of five men and six women took seven-and-a-half hours to reach the verdict.

Matamata stood silent in the dock as the verdicts were read out.

His offending related to 13 Samoan nationals that he arranged to bring to New Zealand in small groups between 1994 and April last year.

All of his victims, except three teenagers who were adopted by Matamata in 2016, came to New Zealand on three-month holiday visas. Some ended up staying for years, working long hours for Matamata for no pay.

Joseph Auga Matamata, 65, denies 11 charges of human trafficking and 13 charges of slavery relating to 13 Samoan nationals between 1995 and April last year.

Summing up the case this afternoon Justice Cull told the jury the "essential ingredient" in the slavery charge is whether the accused used each complainant as his property.

"Slavery should be understood as the ability of one person to control another as they would a possession, a property, or a thing...as a chattel.