Katikati's Reid family found guilty of unconsented building work, dwellings on rural property

By Hannah Bartlett, Open Justice reporter in Tauranga of

Photo: Open Justice via The New Zealand Herald / Hannah Bartlett

For two weeks, a family of four sat along a bench normally reserved for lawyers, defending their use of unconsented dwellings and buildings on their rural block of land. In the process, the court got a glimpse into their unconventional way of life and why "the Reids" believe they should be able to do what they want with their own land.

In rural Katikati, just outside Tauranga, sits a sprawling property scattered with sheds, houses, kids' climbing frames and trampolines, a half-built American-style barn and a non-operational timber mill.

It is home to "the Reids" and at least two other families, and is an "intentional living" community, where children are homeschooled and people visit to practice their shared Vedic faith.

And for two weeks, the ramshackle property was at the centre of a highly unusual trial. It was only the second district council prosecution of its kind in the Western Bay of Plenty in the past five years, and the only one to go to trial.

Jurors were provided with stacks of booklets that didn't show the sort of crime scene they might have expected when they answered their summons.

No drugs, no violence, no forensics.

Instead, the booklets showed what one might describe as a commune, made up of at least 16 buildings that were, for the most part, unconsented.

The Reids had not only elected trial-by-jury, but chose to represent themselves instead of instructing lawyers.

Jason and Bhadra, superannuants who were once married but are now estranged, for the most part took a back seat in the defence case.

Their son Dhruva and daughter-in-law Bianca led the charge, grappling with the task of leading evidence and cross-examining Crown witnesses.

Differences of opinion seemed evident when Bianca would be mid-question and Dhruva would whisper suggestions, as she swatted him away.

Some days, the Reids were joined by a "McKenzie friend", who wasn't allowed to address the judge or jury, but spent his time furiously writing notes. On all days, a picture of a Vedic deity oversaw the proceedings from their desk.

They brought their own filtered water and a waft of essential oils as they entered courtroom three of the Tauranga District Court each day to defend the 25 charges they collectively faced, mostly related to unconsented building work and dwellings, and failures to comply with council abatement notices and notices to fix.

Their position is best summed up in a letter they sent to the Western Bay of Plenty District Council in February 2021, some four years before they found themselves arraigned in the dock.

Signed by all four, it stated they acce