A Taranaki man has pleaded guilty to firing a gun to frighten members of All Black Beauden Barrett's family in a row over a Christmas tree.
Eugene Louis Nuku appeared in the Hawera District Court this morning.
The police said he fired a high-powered air rifle at the vehicle of Barrett's father and brother on 19 December last year.
The incident was sparked by a disagreement over the ownership of a pine tree growing on the roadside outside Nuku's Pungarehu Road property.
The 46-year-old said he was protecting his family and property.
The judge asked for restorative justice to be explored. Nuku will be sentenced in May.