A man accused of human trafficking and slavery charges has been found guilty of all but one charge.
Joseph Matamata, 65, was on trial before a jury in the High Court at Napier, facing 11 charges of trafficking people and 13 charges of dealing in slaves.
The alleged offending occurred between late 1994 and April last year and involved 13 victims.
He was found not guilty on one trafficking charge, but guilty of the remaining 23 charges.
The jury retired at 2.27pm on Monday after listening to Justice Helen Cull's summing up of the trial of Samoan chief Matamata.
They had made a decision by 12.37pm on Tuesday afternoon, a decision that took about seven-and-a-half hours.
Flanked by two court security staff Matamata remained silent while the verdicts were being read, coughing loudly once.
He gave a brief wave to silent family members as he was lead from the courtroom.
Matamata has been remanded in custody for sentencing which will take place on May 6.
Justice Cull thanked the jury for their service and relieved them from duty for the next five years.