Brandon Henry missed his sons' tangi because he was locked up for dealing methamphetamine. Stock photo / 123RF
A man who could not attend the tangi of his sons because he was locked up awaiting sentence for dealing methamphetamine, turned to carving to express his grief.
Brandon Henry was arrested in December 2021 following a police operation focused on large-scale drug dealing in Auckland and Kaitāia.
He has been in custody since his arrest and during that time he suffered the loss of two sons. He was unable to attend their tangi.
As a way of processing his grief from behind the wire, the 47-year-old took up carving.
His lawyer Catherine Cull, KC, said the taonga Henry had created was high-quality.
“The carvings he has produced while inside are a mechanism to deal with the grief because he wasn’t able to go to the tangi and he will have to deal with that grief on release,” she said at his sentencing in the Kaikohe District Court this week.
Judge Brandt Shortland was shown photos of the carvings and said they were deeply personal to Henry’s aroha and mamae (hurt).
“They’re all genuine taonga. As time goes on, they are one of the things that should be passed down,” the judge said.
Details about the deaths of Henry’s sons were not discussed in court.
In relation to his offending, the court heard that during the investigation into the drug operation, police analysed five months of data on Henry’s devices and discovered multiple coded messages offering to supply meth.
Henry had also been “trafficking” the class A drug, in amounts ranging from 70g to 3oz, through the Te Tai Tokerau Covid-19 border.
Once the meth was in the north, Henry dealt the drug from his Far North property, using associates to deliver it to his clients.
He distributed it on a daily basis and even offered it on credit to those who could not afford it.
Henry, who supplied an estimated 500g of meth, pleaded guilty in August 2023 to 20 charges relating to the supply of meth, offering to supply it, conspiracy to supply it and possession of meth utensils.
Although Henry was commended for his rehabilitative efforts while in custody, Judge Shortland reminded him of the damage his drug dealing had caused.
“Meth is a scourge in Northland and filters down to every facet of our community.
“This was a reasonably organised operation. There was premeditation in the use of other people, cash, moving product around, and trafficking and this all took place between covid restrictions. It took some sort of organisation to do that.”
Judge Shortland said Henry’s role in the operation was “high-level”.
“You had to buy the product above you and you had people working for you and carrying out responsibilities and tasks.”
The judge sentenced Henry to three years imprisonment and then left him with some parting thoughts.
“Courts will come and go from your life. What you do when you get out is going to be the biggest decision of your life.
“You are at a point now where you have to make that decision, and only you can decide that.”
Shannon Pitman is a Whangārei based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region. She is of Ngāpuhi/ Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked in digital media for the past five years. She joined NZME in 2023.
The prisoner was there for 'medical oversight'.