Lake Hāwea homicide: Karen White’s husband pleads not guilty to her murder

Karen and Robert White.

The man charged with murdering an Invercargill woman Karen White at her Lake Hāwea property last year can now be identified as her husband.

Karen Gaylene White, 60, died on March 8, 2024.

In November, eight months after her death, police launched a homicide investigation.

Karen Gaylene White.

In December, police said White was the victim of a significant assault and they believed people in the Lake Hāwea area had important information.

They wanted to speak to anyone who saw any unusual or suspicious activity in the area around late February and early March.

Robert White refused to speak to the Herald when contacted at the time.

Today he appeared in the Queenstown District Court charged with White’s murder.

He entered a not guilty plea and was remanded on bail to his home address.

He will appear in the High Court at Invercargill on March 4.

The accused did not seek name suppression.

Otago Lakes Area Commander Inspector Paula Enoka could not comment on the specifics of the case.

“Police continue to support the family and friends of Ms White, and our condolences go out to them,” Enoka said.

After White’s name was released by police, friends paid tribute online.

“An amazing lady, gone too soon,” said one.

“A special friend ... Your life was too short, but so well lived.”

A tribute to Karen White from her funeral service sheet, published online.

White’s funeral was held on March 15 in Invercargill.

“Karen meant the world to a few, was a best friend to some, a great friend to most and kind to all,” the front of her service sheet read.

“She will continue to live on through cherished memories, her two children and grandchild – never to be forgotten.”

Inside, a series of photographs of White as a child was on display, with her kids at various ages, and also featuring her closest friends.

Karen White and husband Robert at Machu Picchu on one of their overseas trips.

Conrad White said his mother was “a very private person who only shared her life with her nearest and dearest”.

She would be “mortified” by the publicity surrounding her death, he said.

It is understood White and his wife were in the process of ending their marriage.

Just days before the killing, Robert White and his navigator, Haast woman Lisa Glubb, competed in the New Zealand Jetsprint Championship in Whanganui.

The pair, in a boat named Devil’s Advocate, placed second.

They have continued to compete in jetsprint competitions around the country since then – including in Canterbury, Featherston, Meremere, Wānaka and Southland.

In 1986, Robert White took out the national championship.

In an interview several years ago he said he “gave up” sprinting to concentrate on business and “very active” family but eventually he found more free time to come back to the sport.

“We’re not old yet – I might sound old, but I don’t feel old ... you get out there and give it a shot ... you gotta do these things while you can,” he said.

Anna Leask is a Christchurch-based reporter who covers national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 18 years with a particular focus on family and gender-based violence, child abuse, sexual violence, homicides, mental health and youth crime. She writes, hosts and produces the award-winning podcast A Moment In Crime, released monthly on nzherald.co.nz