Deny Setiadi, a 28-year-old Indonesian man, has been sentenced to four and a half years in jail.

TVNZ reports that Setiadi was sentenced in Napier High Court after pleading guilty to arranging the entry of seven Indonesians.

The first case of people smuggling was in 2004 when an Israeli man was jailed for three and a half years for smuggling three men from the Ukraine.

Crown Prosecutor David Kerr said Setiadi’s offending was more serious. He not only helped the Indonesian group enter New Zealand; he also arranged accommodation and jobs for them.

The Judge accepted that Setiadi, who came to New Zealand three years ago on a visitor’s permit, was unlikely to re-offend.

In the past, New Zealand officials have distributed leaflets in Jakarta. These leaflets warned that asylum seekers in New Zealand are likely to be detained, most claims made in New Zealand fail, and people whose claims fail are sent home.

The NZ government’s stated position is:

“Our concern is both for the safety of illegal migrants and to uphold New Zealand’s right to regulate migration to our country. It is important that the message is given loud and clear that New Zealand is not a soft touch for illegal migration and the criminal organisations involved in people smuggling.”