Man who murdered 'pure and loving soul' in front of children jailed for 17 years

Ngawai Himiona's sisters and mother, Donna Rikirangi, second from right, hold the ashes of their son and brother outside the High Court at Hamilton today. Photo / Belinda Feek

A man who stabbed a woman to death with a boning knife in front of her two children will serve a jail term for as long in years as the number of knife wounds he inflicted.

Ngawai Kararaina Maria Himiona had her young baby sleeping between her legs and her 4-year-old was also in the room of their Hamilton home late on December 16, 2020.

Her 35-year-old killer - who has continued interim name suppression - inflicted 17 stab wounds to Himiona, including to her neck and abdomen.

Himiona's family packed the public gallery in the High Court at Hamilton today to see her killer jailed for 17 years.

Himiona's mother, Donna-Maria, told the judge her "world came tumbling down" upon hearing her daughter had been murdered.

It was made even harder as she was unable to be there for her, "to protect her and keep her safe from harm".

"I'm so sorry."

The sorrow among the whanau was so deep, Ngawai's Australian-based brother died 10 months later in non-suspicious circumstances.

Her Sydney-based sister Natasha Himiona promised her that her "precious babies will be in good hands … and I hope that we get the justice we deserve".

The victim was also described as having a "heart of gold" and a "pure and loving soul".

Justice Moore said there were no mitigating features but instead highlighted aggravating features.

It was plain the murder was "brutal, deprived and callous" to the high standard necessary for Section 104 and a minimum term of imprisonment of 17 years.

Ngawai Kararaina Maria Himiona, a loving mother of four children, was brutally murdered in her Hamilton home in December 2020. Photo / Supplied

Crown prosecutor Jacinda Hamilton said the man had tried to claim the attack was a result of being in a psychosis at the time, but she said there was no medical evidence of that.

"This was a retributive attack that was ferocious in nature."

Justice Moore noted a psychiatrist's report which also counteracted the claims and urged the court to treat any claims of mental health and abuse in his youth "with caution".

The psychiatrist said he was more likely to be pretending to have mental health symptoms and he instead had deceitful tendencies.

He told the report writer he believed Himiona had a "demon inside her" and he had to get rid of it.

"But at no time did you express any concern for your children and the lifelong injuries it will have on your children.

"This was a particularly brutal and callous murder."

Justice Moore told the man he should be grateful that his family vowed to continue to support him despite what he'd done as often offenders didn't have any support system to call on.

"Your family still have it in their hearts to support you.

Ngawai Himiona's whanau outside the High Court at Hamilton after witnessing the sentencing of her killer. Photo / Belinda Feek

"You should count yourself lucky."

As the man was led out of the dock, he yelled at his lawyer, Kerry Burroughs, to lodge an appeal of his sentence.

'Dad, I have done bad'

Himiona was the mother of four children aged 4 months, 4 years, 10 years and 13 years.

On the day of her death, the man had subjected her to a beating that broke her nose and bruised her face and scalp.

That evening, the eldest of the four children contacted a woman to come over in fear there would be another fight.

She arrived at 9.15pm and tried to mediate.

Himiona went into a bedroom while the woman attempted to keep the killer away from her in the kitchen.

However, the man realised that he was being kept from the room and suspected that Himiona had called police.

He charged past the woman and went into the bedroom, where he confronted Himiona.

Ngawai Hinemoa's whanau, including mother Donna, far left, at the High Court at Hamilton. Photo / Belinda Feek

He grabbed the phone and saw that she had called 111 and without saying anything, left the room and grabbed a large boning knife.

Himiona was laying on the bed with their 4-month-old baby sleeping between her legs. Their 4-year-old was awake in the room.

The man leaped over Himiona and began a "frenzied" attack, stabbing her 17 times to the neck, chest, abdomen and limbs.

He then went to his parents' property and told his father, "Dad I have done bad, I have done bad, I am going away for a long time. I hope I haven't killed Ngawai. I might have killed her ... I stabbed Ngawai. I have done bad. I have done bad."

Neighbours ran to try and help, applying pressure to her wounds and attempting CPR as they waited for emergency services.

She died soon after.