Letele said the prison sentence was a big blow to the work Nauer had been doing in the community for the past few years in an effort to get back on the right track.
“In terms of turning your life around, he was a textbook picture of what that looks like and how to do it.
“You’ve got a guy here that’s rehabilitated and all they needed to do for me was home detention with some restrictions... this guy has been working in our food bank for three years and has helped literally thousands of people.
“There was absolutely no reason to send him to prison because prison is not rehab. He’s only going to get worse in there, he’s going to hate the system even more and have to start all over again.”
Letele said the situation has given strength to the possibility of him standing for Te Pāti Māori at this year’s general election, although he would not reveal his decision yet.
“Something needs to change.
“The system is so against us. To me, the justice system is totally racist and I don’t say that lightly.”
Letele told Simon Barnett and James Daniels on Newstalk ZB the judge could have used Nauer as an example for others on how they could turn their life around.
“Nate has worked for us for the past three years when the first charges were dropped he was released.
“I knew he was doing it tough and I reached out to him. No one had reached out to him and I offered him.
“Look, if there was ever a picture of what rehabilitation looks like to turn your life around it was... that’s why I was just so sad this morning when that happened, when the judge was so narrow-minded. You know he could have really used Nate as an example, this is how you can turn your life around and... have a restart.”
Letele said Nauer had turned his life around “completely”.
“Come and serve the community and it will give you humility and show you what other people are struggling out there that are not turning to crime,” Letele said.
“And just in March, we refurbished 50 homes that were affected by the floods. He helped on every single one of those homes.”
When asked if he knew how Nauer got into money laundering for the Comancheros gang, Letele said it was all about the company one kept.
“My parents would always tell me to surround myself with good people and it is easy to happen, it happened to me. You know, I lost everything. It happened to me.
“I come from that background, my father was in prison for the Mongrel Mob but it shows that can change and... he was helping out in an employment programme.
“We use as an example this is not what to do. So many people glamourise that life or this is where you end up.”
Letele also expressed his frustrations over the sentencing on Instagram, where his post has received support from high-profile media people including Nauer’s former MediaWorks colleagues Dom Harvey, DJ Sir-Vere and Sharyn Casey.
Nauer was sentenced alongside co-offenders Yonghao Huang, a car dealer, and Vetekina Naufahu, brother of the Comancheros’ New Zealand president.
Huang and Nauer pleaded guilty to six charges of money laundering and Naufahu to two. Nauer had interim name suppression but this lifted at sentencing when he did not seek permanent suppression.
Nauer admitted laundering $420,000 of Comanchero drug money by repeatedly buying high-end cars using cash.
It can also be revealed now that Nauer was the same media personality who was charged in 2019 as part of the police’s Operation Nova. He faced trial in 2020 for money laundering and participating in an organised criminal group but the charges were dismissed.
