Three jailed in Aussie for killing Kiwi man

Gordon Hamm's burnt body was found buried in bushland. Photo / Supplied

Three Australian men have been jailed for manslaughter after the death of a former Waikato man.

Gordon Hamm's burnt body was found buried in bushland near Nelson, close to the South Australian-Victorian border after Mark James Moreland and Christopher Nathan Tippins led detectives to the place they had left him.

- AAP reported the pair, with co-accused Tai Thorp, ambushed Mr Hamm, 34, on a bridge in July 2013.

Mr Hamm was assaulted with a rifle and bundled into a car.

During the trial, Moreland and Tippins insisted they had delivered Mr Hamm to bikies over a debt and that he was alive when they last saw him.

When they were found guilty of manslaughter, the pair led police to his body.

- AAP reported the men told police Mr Hamm's death was a "mystery" and he died suddenly, possibly from a heart attack.

At the trial the judge said it was an "extraordinary turn of events", but the pair leading police to Mr Hamm's remains showed some acceptance of responsibility and remorse.

It was unlikely Mr Hamm's body would have been found without the men's assistance, the court heard.

Moreland and Tippins were sentenced to 12 years' jail on Monday, with a minimum non-parole period of nine years.

Thorp, 22, played a lesser role, the judge said, and was sentenced to a minimum of seven years' jail.

Forensic analysis was unable to determine Mr Hamm's cause of death, AAP reported.