An Atiamuri man has been found guilty of murdering his partner in a savage beating where she was struck more than 70 times.
A jury in the High Court at Rotorua took 45 minutes on Tuesday to find James Te Hiko, 44, guilty of murdering 41-year-old Queenie Karaka, known as Nina Thompson, at Atiamuri in April last year.
When the verdict was delivered Thompson's family gasped, a number crying with relief.
Te Hiko didn't flinch as the verdict was delivered.
In an unusual move, Justice Murray Gilbert allowed Te Hiko to address his whanau after the verdict was delivered and the jury had left the court.