Hawke's Bay slaver, trafficker denied parole after threatening fellow prisoner
Joseph Matamata, the first person convicted of slavery in New Zealand, has been denied parole for the fifth time. His release was revoked after he made threatening remarks to another prisoner, which he claimed were misunderstood due to language barriers.
Why it matters
The case highlights the legal challenges surrounding human trafficking and slavery convictions, as well as the complexities of prisoner rehabilitation and parole board decision-making.
The first New Zealander convicted of slavery has been denied parole for a fifth time, after threatening to "f**k up" a fellow prisoner.
In 2020, Hawke's Bay contractor Joseph Matamata, who also goes by Viliamu Samu, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for using 13 people as slaves.
Between 1994-2019, Matamata had used his matai status to attract Samoan workers to Hastings for horticulture work, at times forcing them to work 14-hour days without pay and beating them.
In addition to his slavery charges, Matamata was convicted on 10 charges of human trafficking, but two of these convictions were later nullified by the Court of Appeal.
After being repeatedly refused last year, Matamata was granted parole last month and was to be released on 6 July, but the parole board revoked its decision, after he made threatening remarks to another prisoner.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in