The first New Zealander convicted of slavery has been denied parole for a fifth time, after threatening to "f**k up" a fellow prisoner.
By Felix Walton of RNZ
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.
He reappeared before the parole board on Friday, when chair Jan Doogue asked him to explain himself.
Speaking Samoan via an interpreter, Matamata argued that his lack of understanding of English meant he didn't realise what he was saying.
"I don't know what is meant by what it is I said," he claimed. "They swear at me and I repeated it back at them. He said he was going to 'f**k me up', that's what I repeated to him. I replied, 'I'm going to f**k you up.'
"It was in English and I was throwing back 'con slang'. That is prison talk, I spoke like I would to a prisoner.
"I never meant it to be threatening, it's as if I was joking. I thought that was the vibe I was getting off that person as well, it wasn't my intention to threaten or scare anybody."
Doogue was unconvinced.
"You have been charged and found guilty of threatening to assault another prisoner," she said. "The answers you have given are to the effect that you're entirely innocent and didn't know what was going on, have I got that right?"
Matamata maintained that he did not understand what he was saying.
Doogue then questioned why Matamata had engaged in the argument in the first place.
"You told the board last time you appeared that, if you got in a confrontational situation, you would "walk away"," she said. "Why didn't you?"
Matamata was living at a selfcare house at Auckland South Correctional Facility in Wiri and said the argument started over the residents' supermarket shopping.
"The reason behind it all was there was a discussion about groceries or things that were missing from our shopping, and my approach was to talk to him," he said. "There was no intention to threaten him.
"The reason for our disagreement was over shopping. It wasn't heavy - at least, I didn't think it was heavy. I could've gone to my room, but I didn't go to my room, because I wanted to talk to the brother and address this issue with him."
Parole board member Campbell Roberts asked Matamata how he would change his attitude, if he were to be released.
"If I was released, I will not do as I have done before," he said. "I will not use the power I had before, because it has affected people, and it has also affected me and my family.
"I will focus on no other circle than my direct family. We will go to church, read the bible and be closer to God."
After a brief deliberation, the board declined Matamata's parole. He can try again in October.
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