Man accused of threatening WINZ staff, ditches lawyers

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

A man charged for threatening Gisborne Work and Income staff has now been through three lawyers, saying he doesn’t have faith in any of them.

He also claims his human rights have been breached.

Joseph Hone Tamihana, 30, fisheries worker, appeared for a case review hearing in Gisborne District Court on Tuesday on a single charge of speaking threateningly.  It related to an incident on June 15, this year, when he grew angry at Gisborne Work and Income’s (WINZ) office where he was inquiring about funds.

Tamihana allegedly pointed finger guns at staff and made reference to the 2014 fatal shooting of WINZ staff at the Ashburton office, saying something to the effect that it was “no wonder you guys get shot” and that he was going to “come back and f*** sh** up”.

Initially refused bail when he first appeared in court in June, Tamihana made obscene finger gestures at the presiding judge Warren Cathcart.

He has since been granted bail but has also been through two legal aid assigned lawyers — Bree Munro and Mana Taumaunu.

At this week’s case review hearing, a third assigned counsel, Manaaki Terekia, asked Judge Turitea Bolstad to grant him leave to withdraw. Tamihana, it seemed, wanted as little to do with Mr Terekia as he did his two previous lawyers.  He now just wanted to represent himself.

Judge Bolstad granted the request and told Tamihana to hold his tongue when he began making derogatory comments about the lawyers.

He claimed he had been ill-advised when he previously entered a not guilty plea to the charge, that carries maximum penalties of up to three months imprisonment or a $2000 fine. He said he hadn’t seen full police disclosure of the evidence against him and his human rights had been breached.

The judge stood the case down for Tamihana to see the disclosure but when she called him back to the dock later in the day he was nowhere to be found.

A security guard told the judge Tamihana had since been exited from the building because his behaviour had become unruly.

The judge scheduled another case review hearing for September 12, further remanding Tamihana on bail until then.