A husband and wife who slept on top of their cannabis haul were sentenced at Whanganui District Court this week.
Judge David Cameron told the Turangi couple that they had avoided prison by the narrowest margin.
Tau Thompson, 53, stood in the dock with his arm around his wife Moana Simeon, 55, and both mouthed "thank you" to Judge Cameron when he passed down a sentence of 11 months' home detention at a Turangi address, and convicted them for possession of cannabis to supply.
Conditions were also placed on the couple - that they must must not consume alcohol or take drugs, and complete alcohol and drug counselling as directed by their probation officer.
A total of 1225 grams of cannabis was found in three shopping bags under a mattress of the bed the couple slept on when police raided Thompson's brother's home in Wanganui on May 17, 2013.
Another 500 gram bag of cannabis head, various ziplock bags for packaging one-ounce amounts, two digital scales and a plastic drum were found in the boot of their car.
Text messages were also analysed which pointed to "pounds and ounces".
A pre-sentence report stated that Thompson "demonstrated no insight into offending" when he fabricated the story that Simeon found the 500-gram bag of cannabis in a field in Sanson.
Simeon's report said negative factors were that she blamed her husband, and that she did not demonstrate "remorse, but did indicate shame".
Simeon's lawyer Roger Crowley said his client admitted all offending and that she did express remorse when she indicated shame.
Thompson's lawyer Richard Leith said that home detention would be a safeguard against further offending.
He added that sending people to prison did not necessarily give safeguards and exposed them to criminals.