A classic whodunnit

Jack Nicholas

In 2004, 10 of the 86 homicides around the country went unsolved. One of the most prominent among them was the killing of Hawkes Bay farming identity Jack Nicholas.

The first anniversary of his death passed last year with no fresh clues.

His widow, Agnes, spent Christmas with family at the remote Puketitiri farm where Jack worked the land for almost 50 years before he was shot dead on the morning of August 27, 2004.

Mrs Nicholas found him lying at the gate of their farmhouse more than 15 minutes after hearing gunshots that she thought was her husband shooting rabbits.

The murder sparked a manhunt around the rugged land at the foot of the Kaweka Range, but the time that elapsed after Mr Nicholas was shot and before the police arrived - more than 45 minutes - gave his killer time to flee the scene.

The inquiry has focussed on cars seen in the area and on any disputes that may have flared into murder.

Mr Nicholas was known to have run-ins with cannabis growers but his family did not think he had encountered any in the few years before his killing.

Thousands of people, including hundreds of hunters, have been interviewed as part of the inquiry.

Forensic evidence has been collected and police are confident they will secure a conviction if the case ever goes to court.

Solving the murder hinges on public information pointing them in the direction of the killer.

"Should we get that piece of information that points us in the right direction, a lot of things will fall into place," says Detective Sergeant Dan Foley of Napier.