Contractor guilty of slavery, trafficking
Matamata was found guilty of 23 out of 24 charges
AHastings-based horticultural contractor has been found guilty on 23 out of 24 charges of dealing in slaves and human trafficking. Joseph Auga Matamata’s offending spanned 25 years from late 1994 to April last year.
After a five-and-a-half-week trial in the High Court at Napier, a jury of six women and five men found Matamata, 65, guilty on all but one charge.
He was remanded in custody until his sentencing on May 6.
Defence counsel Roger Philip said during his closing statements on Monday that Matamata was still “strongly rooted in Samoan culture” as a matai, or chief, and he had treated the complainants as family by providing them with food and shelter.
He said the complainants were free to leave the property or take part in sport or go to church.
“If he was a slave master, why [were] these men allowed to go and play rugby, attend sport, go and share meals with other guests who came to the house, walk the streets, buy alcohol, take a vehicle to work without Mr Matamata?”
Philip said the complainants appeared to be motivated by money.
The Crown, which closed its case last Thursday, argued throughout the trial, before Justice Helen Cull, that Matamata deceived all 13 complainants into coming to New Zealand by promising them, or their parents, paid work or schooling.
The court heard from Crown prosecutor Clayton Walker that Matamata paid for their flights, visas and passports. But they worked long hours for no pay, had to comply with strict rules, and were often beaten or threatened with physical abuse if they didn’t complete their chores to Matamata’s liking.
“The idea is that in each case he was leading them to believe they were coming to New Zealand to earn money for the betterment of themselves and their families,” Walker said.
“He led them to believe they were coming over to get money. He intended to keep the money, as the evidence shows he did. The Crown says he kept a huge amount of their income.”
But Philip said there was no pattern of behaviour to suggest the allegations were true. He asked why people from the same village kept arriving to stay with Matamata and his family over the 23 years if treated badly: “Surely in a small community that information would spread.”
Each slavery charge carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in jail while the human trafficking charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years’ jail or a $500,000 fine.