Traffic fine exemption for being Māori doesn't stack up, Supreme Court rules

February 18, 2019

Our highest court has thrown out a man’s lengthy bid to be exempt from court action because he is Māori.

Michael Raymond Main went all the way to the Supreme Court, which has just issued its findings, claiming a miscarriage of justice.

He first appeared before a community magistrate on transport-related offences but appealed "because of his status as a Māori".

That appeal was dismissed by a district court judge, and he then headed to the High Court still claiming the courts didn’t have jurisdiction over him.

After that, Main headed to the Court of Appeal, which didn’t accept his application seeking leave to appeal.

That decision came from the court’s deputy registrar, and Main then asked a Court of Appeal justice to review it.

After the justice backed the deputy registrar’s position, Main took his case to the Supreme Court, which today said it doesn’t have jurisdiction over the case.

His application to take the case there has been dismissed.

The earlier High Court ruling says the community magistrate found Main liable for using a vehicle without evidence of a vehicle inspection, and that he didn’t produce a driver licence when required.

The ruling says Main was stopped by police in Hamilton in 2017 when they noticed a strange font on the car's number plates.

It turned out the registration number didn’t exist and the car had earlier been issued with a non-operational order.

The licence Main showed police was also not valid – the ruling says it was a piece of paper with a name on it and "other writing in Māori".

Main has been representing himself through the courts.

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