A Samoan man, who the Crown says was trafficked to New Zealand and used as a slave, has described being ordered to beat his young cousin because he was so scared of his adoptive father, the Hastings-based Samoan chief who brought them here.
The trial of Joseph Auga Matamata is in its third week at the High Court in Napier.
He denies 24 charges of human trafficking and slavery, involving 13 Samoan nationals, over a 26 year period.
RNZ Hawke's Bay reporter Anusha Bradley has been in court and filed this report.
