Northland man found guilty of murdering partner

Matiu Korewha in the dock. Photo / Northern Advocate

A Northland man has been found guilty of murdering his partner.

The verdict on Matiu Korewha, 44, was delivered by a jury in the High Court at Whangarei today after a two-week trial.

He bashed to death Barbara Moka in a paddock not far from the Te Piiti Marae in Omanaia in the early hours of June 9 last year, before wrapping her body in a blanket and hiding it under a pile of rubbish.

It took the jury just over two hours of deliberation to find Korewha guilty on one charge of murder.

Earlier, Justice Brown told the jury in his summing up they should decide the case solely on evidence given in court.

While the jury must accept his directions on matters of law, they alone were the judges of facts who decide what evidence should be accepted or rejected.

Korewha is remanded in custody for sentencing on February 27.