The man who punched, kicked and stomped his partner to death in a 20-minute beating has been convicted of murder.

Robert Roupere Hohua, 36, admitted killing Marie Rose Harlick at her Opotiki home in November last year.

He claimed to be guilty only of the lesser charge of manslaughter; that he never meant to kill Harlick, or was unaware the injuries inflicted were likely to kill her.

The jury which heard the evidence in his six-day trial in the High Court at Tauranga disagreed.

On the charge of murder, the jurors took four and a half hours to reach the guilty verdict.

Family of Harlick, some of whom had flown from Australia, filled the seats in the public gallery.

They shouted "yes" on hearing the jury foreman's answer, an outpouring of emotion nearly 12 months after Harlick was killed.

The evidence in the trial was largely uncontested, the key issue was whether Hohua had murderous intent during the fatal assault on Harlick on November 22, 2016.

The couple had been in a "tumultuous" relationship for around two years and raised a toddler, Vivienne, together.

But the couple were not living together.

This was because Hohua was on bail for an earlier violent attack on Harlick in October.

As part of his bail conditions on the charge of assault with intent to injure, Hohua was not allowed to go within 100m of Harlick.

A bail curfew meant Hohua had to be at another Opotiki address between the hours of 7pm and 6am.

Despite these strict conditions, the couple had been drinking together with friends in the hours leading up to Harlick's death.

This was at a house on Wellington St where Harlick was serving a sentence of home detention.

Just before his 7pm curfew, Hohua returned to his bail address on Windsor St with Vivienne, who was just 19 months old, and others he was drinking with.

But around 9.30pm, Hohua became worried Harlick was being unfaithful to him and returned to Harlick's home on Wellington St, pushing the toddler in the stroller.

When Harlick didn't answer the door, Hohua became angry and smashed a window to let himself in.

Harlick walked in the back door but was too drunk to answer Hohua's questions.

This "enraged" Hohua who punched Harlick in the face once or twice.

She was knocked to the ground and "probably unconscious at this point", said the Crown.

Neighbours called 111 at 9.58pm and heard Hohua shout "get up before I kill you".

He kept punching, kicking and stomping Harlick in an assault which dragged on for around 20 minutes.

Hohua then dragged her into the bath, where he cleaned the blood off her face. Her body was left under the running tap while Hohua went to check on Vivienne, who was crying in the stroller.

He then moved Harlick on to a mattress in a bedroom and covered her with a blanket.

Vivienne was later found by police under the blanket, beside her dead mother.

Two police officers, who were tied up at another incident when the 111 call was made, arrived at the Wellington St house at 10.24pm.

Hohua fled and was tasered during the arrest. The police found Harlick inside the bedroom, unresponsive.

A post-mortem examination revealed a long list of injuries inflicted during the "eruption of rage", which is how the Crown described the beating, including bruises, cuts and fractures to both sides of her jaw.

She bled to death, internally, after a stomp or kick to her stomach ruptured an artery.
Even if Hohua did not intend to kill Harlick, the Crown said murderous intent could be established if the Crown proved Hohua knew the beating could kill her but went ahead anyway.

"[Hohua] consciously took a risk to dice with Ms Harlick's life," said prosecutor Richard Jenson.

Hohua did not intend to kill Harlick, said defence lawyer Gene Tomlinson, or did not know the beating was likely to be fatal.

"He has committed an unrightable wrong, something that cannot ever be fixed," Tomlinson said.

"He's taken a life he should have been protected. But he's guilty of manslaughter."

- NZ Herald