Council of Trade Unions vice president Maori, Syd Keepa, says the sentences given to Tame Iti and Te Rangikaiwhiria Kemara for firearms charges are too harsh.
A lawyer lodged an appeal on Monday on behalf of Tame Iti, opposing both the convictions and jail sentence.
Last week the Tuhoe activist Iti, and his co-accused Kemara, were jailed for two and a half years for their involvement in military-style camps in Te Urewera National Park during 2007.
