Updated 2.45pm: The first people to face charges of human trafficking in New Zealand have denied the charges against them, in an appearance today in the Nelson District Court.

Three men facing a total of 54 charges of people trafficking have appeared in the Nelson District Court.

The charges relate to 18 people, believed to be horticultural workers in the Nelson area.

One of the three men, an Aucklander, claims he was just an interpreter for the group and has been granted name suppression on that basis. He faces 36 charges.

Jaswinder Singh Sangha and Satnam Singh have denied all charges, they elected trial by jury and will appear again on November 5th.

Outside the court one of the defendants claimed they were trumped up charges and said he'd been picked on.

This is the first time a people trafficking case has come to court in New Zealand.