Reiri's defence lawyer, Ian Hard, said there was a great deal of evidence to show a connection between Reiri and the father of her four children, but the pair had not been in an "intimate" relationship since the birth of their last child.
"He would come back to the family home from time to time ... when his wife was away working or needed assistance."
The man was simply a "responsible father, pulling his weight", Mr Hard said.
The man had been made an authority on the power account years ago when the couple were still together, and was an authority on Reiri's bank account as it was a WBS account that could only be accessed within Wairarapa, Mr Hard said.
The man slept in a spare bedroom when he stayed at the house, Mr Hard said.
"Their relationship actually broke down years ago."
But yesterday the court heard that Reiri's former landlord, neighbour and employer believed the couple were partners.
Reiri's former landlord John Christensen said although the alleged partner was not on the tenancy agreement, it became apparent that he was living at the house that Reiri rented from 2005.
Mr Christensen described arriving at the house early in the morning and seeing both Reiri and her alleged partner looking out through the bedroom window.
The man had also helped to remove a tree and identify tree stumps for removal, as well as installing a new toilet and mowing the lawn, Mr Christensen said.
Mr Christensen said he also saw men's clothing in Reiri's bedroom which he believed to belong to the alleged partner.
"He always seemed to be there when I arrived and he dealt with a number of the issues that came up."
He also believed the man was "involved somehow with the paying of the rent" as Reiri had mentioned checking with him when there had been problems with the rent, he said.
"I remember very distinctly that [he] was supposed to have put it into a particular account and she would have to find out what had happened."
When asked by Mr Govind to describe how he saw the couple's relationship, Mr Christensen said "I saw them as partners living together."
During cross-examination, Mr Hard asked if the clothes might have belonged to Reiri's 18-year-old son who worked in forestry. Mr Christensen said he had never seen the son at the house.
Reiri's employer, shearing contractor Richard MacLeod, said he understood that the pair were "together".
"It never occurred to me that they didn't live together ... I assumed that they were a family unit."
When asked by Mr Hard if he was making an assumption, Mr MacLeod said "a lot of people believed they lived together and people talk - and you tend to believe it if you hear it from a lot of people."
Former neighbour Wenarau Te Kanawa told the court that she had seen the pair as a couple and had fed the family dog when the family were away from home, and had only recently found out Reiri had a different surname from her alleged partner.
Witnesses from Genesis Energy, Wairarapa Building Society and a case manager from Work and Income also gave evidence to the court yesterday.
The trial is expected to conclude today.
