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The Court of Appeal is considering whether being being Maori should be taken into account at sentencing.
A Mongrel Mob member, Fabian Jessie Mika, is appealing a manslaughter sentence imposed for causing the death of a teenage boy during a car chase in Canterbury.
His lawyer, James Rapley, says the fact a Maori comes from an environment of social deprivation and inequality should be taken into account.
He asked for a 10 percent reduction in Mika's six year nine months sentence.
The case is similar to the Gladeu judgment in Canada that has led that country to pre-sentencing reports being prepared for indigenous Canadians that spells out how the accused may be affected by the deprivation common to native communities.
The Gladeu case was recently raised in a speech by High Court Justice Joe Williams as an example New Zealand should consider.
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