NZ man deported after machete carjacking attempts in Queensland

A New Zealand man who threatened multiple motorists with a machete during a violent series of attempted carjackings in Queensland will be deported after serving a four-year prison sentence in Australia.

John Suafai Semau, 38, tried to escape after crashing a vehicle in 2022, putting a 64-year-old man in a headlock when confronted and later retrieving a machete, which he brandished while attempting to steal the man’s car before ramming another vehicle blocking his path.

His offending continued when a truck driver carrying a shovel intervened to stop him targeting another car occupied by a man, his mother and their dog, before he approached a woman loading groceries and attempted a further carjacking while armed.

The administrative review tribunal heard the incidents were highly traumatic for witnesses and victims, noting the risk of fatal consequences given his repeated offending involving vehicles and weapons.

Semau, a father of eight who has lived in Australia for much of his life, said personal tragedy, including a workplace injury and the death of his infant son, contributed to methamphetamine use and reckless behaviour, and argued that counselling had reduced his risk.

Although the tribunal accepted deportation would affect his children, including two with significant health needs, it ruled the seriousness of his crimes meant he should lose the privilege of remaining in Australia.