Wedding day murder: Guilty pleas to manslaughter

Lee Rata died after he was assaulted outside a wedding venue in Kaitaia on New Year's Eve 2015.

Two men who denied murdering Kaitaia man Lee Rata have admitted and been convicted of manslaughter.

Christopher Manuel (36) and Lester Pairama (17) pleaded guilty to manslaughter when they appeared in the High Court at Whangarei on Monday, along with a count of aggravated robbery, at the beginning of what was to have been a murder trial.

Juanita Rafael Wilcox (26) and Joseph Martin (41) each admitted one charge of being an accessory after the fact of murder, while Manuel and Martin each pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

All four will be sentenced on December 1.

The trial of two more accused, Gregory Mark Comer and Gregory Matthew Comer, is scheduled to begin on Monday. Both face one charge of being an accessory after the fact, while Gregory Mark Comer is also charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The court heard that Manuel, a member of the Mongrel Mob, married his partner in Kaitaia on New Year's Eve 2015. His wedding attire consisted of a red Mongrel Mob vest over a T-shirt, a pair of red shorts, a black bum bag and a Nazi-style helmet.

He was dressed that way for much of the day and evening, when he was part of a group that chased and assaulted Mr Rata after an argument in Bonnetts Road, about 120m from the wedding venue.

A number of patched and prospective Mongrel Mob gang members from Kaitaia, Moerewa and Auckland attended the wedding and the reception that followed.

Mr Rata, who had been drinking that afternoon and evening, had left home wearing a leather vest with red strings down the side, a baseball cap and other garments showing his gang affiliation. He had a dog chain, believed to be for self-defence, wrapped around his torso, and was carrying a knife.

Mr Rata had not been invited to the wedding, but spoke to several people near the reception venue, and had earlier smashed a glass on the ground after an argument with guests, and the bride. A group, including Pairama and Manuel, chased him, yelling at him to pick up the glass.

Manuel then struck Mr Rata with a closed fist two or three times, before he was repeatedly kicked and stomped on around the head and body as he lay on the ground.

One of the attackers used what police believed was a Nazi-style metal helmet to strike him around his head. Pairama then removed his dog chain and leather vest while he lay unconscious.

Mr Rata was admitted to Kaitaia Hospital then transferred to Whangarei, where he died the next day after life support was switched off.