A Samoan Chief who falsely promised two people a better way of life, now faces up to 16 years behind bars.
Today, Moeaia Tuai was sentenced on numerous charges relating to slavery, rape and indecent assault.
The 63-year-old was sentenced in the Auckland High Court to 16 years and four months', with a non-parole period of eight years.
A multi-agency investigation over 18 months culminated in a five week trial.
Detective Inspector Warrick Adkin, Counties Manukau CIB, says the bravery of the two victims coming forward and a strong partnership between Police and Immigration New Zealand led to the successful prosecution.
"The charges are the result of more than two years of work by Immigration New Zealand and New Zealand Police, dating back to 2024 when the first allegations of Tuai's offending were brought to our attention."
Detective Inspector Adkin says the offending relates to two Samoan nationals who he arranged to bring to New Zealand in 2016.
"Initially the victims were promised a good education and a better way of life.
"But that's not what happened, instead he put them to work, kept their wages and assaulted them.
"For the victims to stand up in court against a Matai is significant in their culture, but they did it and their compelling evidence led to a conviction."
He says the conviction and subsequent sentence is the culmination of a lot of hard work from a number of teams across the board.
"This is a great result and I'd like to acknowledge the hard work of our investigation team, who worked tirelessly to bring this case to court, and the specialist agencies who supported the victims throughout this process."
"Immigration New Zealand is committed to supporting Police to ensure those who deliberately harm or take advantage of others are held accountable," says Jason Perry, National Manager Immigration Investigations (Immigration New Zealand).
"Immigration Investigators worked closely with Police throughout the operation, helping to ensure those responsible for these often hidden crimes are brought to justice.
"Coordinated action like this is essential to protecting vulnerable people and raising awareness. If you see signs of exploitation, report it."
