Rhys Warren is challenging the justice system's right to try him on charges relating to an armed incident where four police officers were shot near Kawerau in March.

Three officers are believed to have been shot with a shotgun and another with a .22 in an armed siege that lasted 22 hours on March 9-10.

Rhys, 27, is in custody and appeared in Tauranga High Court today via audio visual link before Justice Tim Brewer, who also appeared via AVL.

Warren didn't wait to be seated before he began reading from a prepared statement.

Justice Brewer asked if Warren would like to sit down? 'If you stand up I can't see you.”

Warren replied he would sit down 'under duress”.

'You don't have to sit down, but if you stand up I can't see you,” said Justice Brewer.

After being told the purpose of the pre-trial hearing was to determine if there any arrangements needed to be made before the trail, Warren declared he didn't recognise the courts' jurisdiction and nominated three people to represent him.

Justice Brewer told Warren they had to be barristers of the High Court.

'That's just the law. You can speak…but nobody can speak for you unless they are practicing law.”

Two men in the back of the court said they were native assessors, loudly enough to be heard by the Justice – who replied that he could not hear them, he wasn't allowed to.

Warren repeated his denial of the jurisdiction and stated he reserved the right to speak in Te Reo at his trial set down to begin Monday, March 6 2017.

While Warren has the right to represent himself at trial, Justice Brewer expressed concerns about his ability to do so.

'The crown is going to be calling evidence from experts as to what they think happened. An expert on guns, and you really need to have some expert of your own to review the report of the crown's expert,” says Justice Brewer.

'I don't understand any of that. My understanding is this court has no jurisdiction,” says Warren.

'The trial is going to happen,” says the Justice. 'You are representing yourself. If you don't take steps to do that effectively, then what's going to happen to you?”

He ordered Warren be sent a review of the forensic ballistic report, so if he wanted to use it he could.

When approached outside the court, the two men stated they are Native Assessors under the Te Tura Whenua Maori Act 1993, (Maori Land Act) part 13.

The Act replaces the Maori Affairs Act and treats primarily with the operations of the Maori Land Court. Part 13 is concerned with Maori incorporations.

They didn't want to give their names, on instructions from Rhys Warren.