Then, in June, 2019, three years into their relationship, the 48-year-old strangled her unconscious again in her Titahi Bay home, before going outside to smoke a cigarette.
When he returned, something was different. This time, his violence proved fatal.
But Nikora did not know that when he bundled Kawana into the back of his car and started on a 600km journey north.
At some point on that journey, he transferred Kawana to the boot of the car.
She was certainly dead when he dumped her body in an unoccupied farmhouse near Ruatōria.
Kawana was found six weeks later by a new owner who had just bought the property.
In court on Friday, a court victims’ advisor read a victim impact statement prepared jointly by members of Kawana’s whānau, about 15 of whom were in the public gallery.
‘You have broken us all’
“How can you be so dark and evil,” it said. “You have broken us all.”
The statement described Kawana’s death as a “gaping wound”, leaving a void that could never be filled.
The family statement said they had lost a beautiful and intelligent wahine who was a guiding light to others.
Despite their loss and anger, however, the family said they forgave Nikora for what he had done.
“This decision [to forgive] is for our own healing, to find a path forward, however difficult that may be.”
Killing was ‘callous’
Napier Crown Solicitor Steve Manning said Nikora’s actions were “very callous”.
As he drove northward, he passed “goodness knows how many hospitals” and did not seek assistance.
His callousness also extended to sending Kawana’s daughter a text message from his victim’s phone, pretending to be her.
Justice Dale La Hood said Nikora had pleaded guilty to Kawana’s murder just four weeks before his trial date.
Nikora had also pleaded guilty to a representative charge of injuring with intent to injure, covering the “extreme, prolonged, gratuitous violence” he had inflicted on her during their relationship.
This included the occasion when he strangled Kawana at a family function to the point where she had to be resuscitated.
“This case is a prime example of why the separate crime of strangulation was created,” Justice La Hood said.
He sentenced Nikora to life in prison, with a minimum non-parole period of 12.5 years.
Nikora and Kawana, 45, formed a relationship in 2016 but continued to live in their respective houses in Flaxmere, Hastings, and Titahi Bay.
Kawana was last seen alive at her Titahi Bay home on June 20, 2019.
Kathleen Kawana’s body was found in an empty house near Ruatoria on August 3, 2019. Photo / Supplied
Body found 600km away
On August 3 that year, more than six weeks later, her decomposing body was found in the abandoned farmhouse near Ruatōria, dressed only in her blue checked dressing gown.
Kawana’s body was lying on a mattress and two camp stretchers were on top of her, covering her up.
The abandoned farmhouse was well-known to Nikora, who had spent time in the area while growing up.
A Crown summary of facts said that Nikora left Kawana’s home with her in his car sometime on the night of June 20 to 21.
Police analysis of Nikora’s bank records and CCTV footage showed that he drove from Titahi Bay, to Woodville, then to Hastings, Gisborne and finally to Ruatōria.
Ri Nikora appears in the High Court at Napier for sentencing for the murder of his partner, Kathleen Kawana. Photo / Ric Stevens
Nikora sent bogus text message
On June 23, Nikora sent a message to Kawana’s daughter using her phone and pretending to be her, as if to explain her absence.
It concluded: “No WiFi or txt chat you wen I can.”
It was not unusual for Kawana to be away from home as she often travelled to Hawke’s Bay to be with Nikora. No efforts were made to find her initially, as family members assumed she was in Hastings.
Despite their close relationship, Nikora was not arrested for his partner’s murder until May 2024, nearly five years after she died.
The arrest followed the piecing together of an evidence trail and forensic work, including testing of seven cigarette butts and a soft drink bottle found near Kawana’s body. Analysis found Nikora’s DNA on them.
Kawana’s DNA was also found in the boot of Nikora’s car, after he had sold it to someone else.
A Warehouse receipt was found near the body. It was for a hoodie that Nikora was later wearing when he took a selfie on the Interisland ferry.
Jealous and controlling
During their relationship, it became clear to people who knew them that Nikora was jealous and controlling of Kawana.
The summary of facts describes multiple incidents of violence and assault.
A relative who saw her on the day she had to be revived said she had bruising all around her neck and face, and her eyes were bloodshot as if she had been strangled.
On another occasion, a teenage friend witnessed Nikora punching Kawana repeatedly in the face and putting her in a choke hold until she “went limp”.
The young man was too scared to intervene.
Daughter died aged 6
Kathleen Kawana holds a portrait of her daughter Iriaka, who died after being crushed by a tree back in 2005. Photo / Paul Taylor
Kathleen Kawana knew tragedy in her own life, with the death of her daughter in an accident at the age of 6.
Iriaka Kawana was pinned beneath the broken branch of a bluegum tree in Flaxmere’s Lochain Park in 2006.
The branch gave way when a group of children, including Iriaka, were playing on it.
When the branch broke, the other children were thrown clear, but Iriaka was pinned for 15 minutes until adults were found who could lift the branch off her.
She died from injuries to her chest and abdomen.
Ric Stevens spent many years working for the former New Zealand Press Association news agency, including as a political reporter at Parliament, before holding senior positions at various daily newspapers. He joined NZME’s Open Justice team in 2022 and is based in Hawke’s Bay. His writing in the crime and justice sphere is informed by four years of frontline experience as a probation officer.