A former union organiser and activist who uploaded 44 indecent images to a child pornography website has been described as a "broken man" who has "lost forever his good name" by his lawyer.

Joseph Robert Davies has been sentenced to 11 months home detention and 250 hours community work for five charges of possessing, importing or exporting, and distributing objectionable images of children.

In January last year, Davies was using a chat room on a Canadian website called "Pedo", which was being monitored by a New Zealand customs investigator.

Using the user name "olpervy", Davies was seen by the investigator uploading four objectionable images.

A few days later Davies uploaded more images of a similar nature. He also uploaded a link to 44 indecent images of children to the website.

Judge Tom Gilbert said that all of the images had been identified as showing naked girls, under the age of 12, and involved elements of sadism, bondage and bestiality.

In one image a girl's hands were held above her head and bound with rope, while in another the victim was standing with her hands behind her back and tape over her mouth.

Judge Gilbert said that the images showed that a "child somewhere in the world is being horrifically violated".

Lawyer Kerry Cook described the defendant as a "truly broken man" who had lost his job, his retirement savings and most of his friends. He had also "lost forever his good name".

Mr Cook said that Davies would be best served by being in the community. The defendant had engaged in a number of rehabilitative programs, which would reduce his risk of re-offending if he continued to engage with them.

In sentencing Davies, the judge said that allowing the images to be potentially viewed by a large number of people and uploading them to the website showed a "moderate level of engagement" with the images.

The judge said that the defendant was a man who had dedicated his working life as a union organiser to helping others. However he asked "how can a man so aware of the plight of others engage in this disgraceful conduct which has at it's heart the defilement of children?"