This story discusses details of long-term sexual and physical abuse.

For about four decades a South Island predator carried out the most horrific offending against those close to him, including raping his daughter, step-granddaughter, sisters, and former partners. National Crime Correspondent Sam Sherwood reports.

Standing inside the dock at the High Court, the man stood quietly in his prison clothes as his lawyer formalised the guilty pleas and discussed arrangements for sentencing.

There was no mention in the brief hearing of the extent of his offending before he walked back out of the dock to be sent back to prison where he will stay until he is sentenced later this year.

Inside a court document released to RNZ is the full story of the man’s offending, detailing 20 charges he has pleaded guilty to, with offending that began in the 1980s through to the 2020s.

It includes eight charges of sexual violation by rape (seven of which are representative), a representative charge of rape, and eight charges of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection (six of which are representative).

He also pleaded guilty to a representative charge of making objectionable material, a representative charge of doing an indecent act on a young person and one charge of wounding with intent to injure.

His offending includes raping his daughter, his step-granddaughter, two of his sisters, and two ex-partners. He also committed indecent acts on a distant relative.

The man now in his 50s has interim name suppression. RNZ is not reporting the locations of his offending or the court in which he is being sentenced, to avoid the victims being identified.

The court document begins by discussing the man’s offending against an ex-partner who he began dating in the early 1990s when she was 17. It did not take long before he became violent, “physically, emotionally and sexually”.

The woman, who had four children with the man, left in about 2015.

“During the relationship, which lasted around 20 years, the defendant offered violence towards the victim by hitting, pushing, and kicking her. On one occasion he smacked her in the face over making a coffee.”

In one incident, while pregnant with her first child, the man punched her in the eye and kicked her in the stomach, telling her he hoped her baby died.

The woman thought she was going die during one assault when he put his hands around around her neck, squeezing so it was difficult for her to breathe.

The summary of facts says by the mid 2000s the man raped her multiple times.

The man also pleaded guilty to a representative charge of sexual violation by rape in relation to another former partner.

The woman was 15 when she began a sexual relationship in 1990 with the man, who was then 21.

“The victim recalls feeling controlled by the defendant. She recalls the defendant being a jealous person. He didn’t like her joking or laughing with anyone of the opposite sex.

The summary of facts refers to three occasions where the man raped her.

The relationship ended when she turned 16.

The man also offended against one of his children.

The summary of facts says his daughter lived with him in several different houses from when she was born until she was about 16 and left home.

The offending started in about 2006/2007 when she was five and lasted until she was 15.

“While [she] was around 5 to 6 years old, she recalls her father raping her whenever he had the opportunity.”

After the first attack he told her what happened was “secret between them, and she wasn’t allowed to tell her mother”.

The court document refers to one incident when her father was driving down a gravel road.

“Knowing what was going to happen, she jumped out of the car and ran off. He then drove away leaving her there frightened in the pitch black.”

The man started letting his daughter go out drinking alcohol with friends between the ages of 13-15.

“She recalls getting home drunk on several occasions, where he would proceed to rape her while she was intoxicated. [She] described him as thriving off any situation she was intoxicated.”

In the early 2020s, the man also offended against his step granddaughter.

The girl was two when her mother began dating the man’s son.

The relationship lasted about five years before she and her mother moved to another city.

Since then, the girl travelled once a month to stay with her stepfather and the man who lived in the same house.

She would often sleep in the man’s bedroom, which had a second mattress prepared.

When the girl was aged between 6 and 8, he raped her for the first time. He also took multiple photos of the victim being raped by as well as other photos of her.

The man also raped two of his sisters.

One of his sisters recalled living with the family at a property when she was about 13 in the 80s.

“It was here the defendant carried out the sexual activities he wanted with her on a frequent basis until she was around 18 years old.”

He started assaulting another sister when she was about 11 up until she was 17.

“The victim recalls the defendant often saying disgusting comments to her including ‘old enough to bleed, old enough to butcher’.”

When the victim, then in her mid 20s, was about eight months pregnant with her first daughter, the man drove her to deliver something [firewood] after a family gathering. The woman reluctantly went with him after her father insisted.

On their way, he took her to an area he had previously raped her when she was a child and asked to have sex with her.

“The victim told him to ‘f.. off’ and that he was a ‘disgusting creep’. The defendant replied that ‘the other girls still let me do it’.”

She again told him to “f… off” and said he was “sick in the head”.

“To which the defendant replied ‘I know I am’ while smiling.”

The man also admitted a representative charge of indecent act on a young person under 16 in relation to a distant relative.

In response to questions from RNZ, police confirmed the investigation into the man began following an in-person report on 18 January 2024.

“The defendant was arrested and charged with sexual violation offences related to that report on 7 May 2024.

“Further investigations uncovered additional victims and resulted in 94 charges laid in total.”

If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.

Analysis: Winston Peters is on a mission and says the idea that either Chris will be calling the shots once the votes are counted is a nonsense.

With just 26 days of the election campaign to go, the New Zealand First leader is by far the most experienced political leader, having first entered Parliament with the National Party in 1978 before breaking off and setting up his own party in 1993.

In the first MMP election held in 1996, New Zealand First won 17 seats and Peters took on his first stint as deputy prime minister and treasurer.

Heading into the November election, 30 years after the birth of MMP, Peters is convinced stability will return to the increasingly fragmented political landscape this year.

Asked about the evolution of MMP and the potential for three or four parties being needed to form a government based on current polling, Peters said that was a suspicion he did not agree with.

“I think that things are going to be stabilised at the end of this event,” he says with confidence.

Asked to explain whether he thought a two-party governing arrangement was still possible, he replied, “I’m not going to tell you what the permutations are, but there are variations on the thing, which go to the core of your question.”

“Let’s just say the composition of the government,” he added.

Last week National’s Christopher Luxon and Labour’s Chris Hipkins sparred in the first televised leaders’ debate – something Peters is miffed about.

“Why have we seen these two leaders going head-to-head when they will not be deciding the outcome come election day, of that I can guarantee you.

“The first person gets up and says ‘the National government’s going to do this’. The other person says the ‘Labour government’s going to do that’.

“Neither such things exist anymore; they just don’t exist,” he exclaimed.

“But they’re allowed to get away with that sort of language, and in so many ways, the tragedy is – deliberate or not – that the mainstream media are allowing a conversation to happen as though it’s first-past-the-post when it was no longer the case for 33 years.”

Labour and ACT have both released fiscal plans already this campaign and National is due to do the same on Monday, but Peters pushes back on questions about whether his party will do the same.

“Well, we have got a fiscal plan, and we’ve outlaid it for two years. We talked about having a future sovereign fund, what it would cost, and how much would be put into it.

“We laid out that plan two years ago, and we’re going to keep on developing that in more detail in the next few weeks,” he said.

As for other parties, Peters doesn’t believe anything is adding up.

“When you talk about costings, see nobody’s costings are working.

“They’re just lying when they say they are working.”

Peters says that is because the country’s growth rate is nowhere near high enough to afford what is being promised.

“If the economy goes on the way that it is, then all these promises that are being made are worthless because they won’t have the money to do it.”

So after nearly 50 years in and around politics is the octogenarian, who has held some of the most senior roles in government multiple times, enjoying being back in the thick of another campaign for re-election?

“Well, I’m still getting inspirations, yes, I get serious inspirations from it, but I never understood why people say, “are you enjoying it? Because it’s not a matter of enjoyment.

“When you’re on a mission, you’re there to make sure something happens and you believe in the national interest.

“So whether you get an enjoyment out of it, it’s not the point, whether you, like as any decent servant does, feel rewarded by the outcome, that’s probably more important,” he concluded.

Peters still firmly believes New Zealand is an attractive place to live, work, and raise a family – “but it’s not as attractive as it used to be”.

“Our job is to restore it, make it an attractive place again for people to come here who we need, not who need us.”

New Zealand First released its party list last week with well-known new candidates getting prime spots near the top.

While Peters and his fellow current ministers Shane Jones, Casey Costello and Mark Patterson took the top four spots, the next five rankings went to fresh candidates over sitting MPs.

Former National Party minister Alfred Ngaro, former National MP and Whanganui Mayor Michael Laws, former National MP Harete Hipango-Brownlie, former chair of the Financial Markets Authority Craig Stobo, and former All Black captain Taine Randell rounded out the top nine.

In a surprise move, former Defence Minister and New Zealand First MP Ron Mark – who left politics in 2020 – was given the low ranking of 16 on the list despite the party talking up his chances of reclaiming his old ministerial posting if back in government.

Mark had approached the party about a return some time ago, but then dragged the chain confirming whether he would actually run.

Not helping his prospects were comments to media he had other opportunities abroad he could pursue, and making clear he wasn’t excited by the idea of returning to Parliament.

The party has also been keen to present as a rejuvenated version of itself that is attracting candidates from the old National guard.

Ngaro would have secured a decent list ranking before committing to joining the party, while Laws’ high spot lines up with the party being keen for him to hold local government minister in any future government.

Hipango-Brownlie has political experience but also brings a background in law, and a similar te ao Māori view of the world to Peters and Jones.

Stobo has credibility in finance and the economy while Randell is arguably more of a household name than Peters himself, and will be getting primed for a leadership role down the line.

Peters believes the list is the “best set of candidates we’ve ever had”.

“We’ve got a real team, make no bones about it, and that’s what’s giving us the confidence in our present circumstance that we’re going to do well.

“But our job is to ensure we get the maximum number of those people into Parliament.”

It’s all still on the table according to Peters who is convinced nothing is set in stone yet.

“The election is going to be decided in the next three weeks.”

Dave Rennie’s best-laid plans for the first Bledisloe Cup test against Australia on Saturday have had to be quickly torn up following Richie Mo’unga’s injury, with Damian McKenzie moved from fullback to No.10 and Beauden Barrett given a rare start.

Most observers assumed Barrett would start at first-five following Mo’unga’s calf issue, floated by RNZ on Wednesday and which was confirmed this morning, but instead Rennie has opted to start Barrett at fullback and move McKenzie a little closer to the action in the absence of the injured Ruben Love.

Still, it represents a significant comeback for Barrett, who was not involved in the first six tests of the year and whose future with the All Blacks appeared tenuous even last month.

After not featuring in the three Nations Championship tests in July, Barrett played a bit-part role in the recent “Greatest Rivalry” series – only coming off the bench in the final test in Baltimore.

Mo’unga, who also had a calf issue on his return to New Zealand from three years in Japan, will also miss the return test in Sydney a week on Saturday.

Rennie’s other option would have been to start the uncapped Josh Jacomb at first-five but, with so much at stake on Saturday – the All Blacks’ unbeaten record at their fortress stretches back 53 tests to 1994 and a victory will lock up the Bledisloe for another year – the selectors have gone with experience over youth.

Barrett will be joined in the starting line-up by brothers Scott and Jordie.

Scott Barrett, selected in the second row with Josh Lord, is playing his first test (and only third match in total) since November last year, with Jordie Barrett named in the midfield as expected alongside Quinn Tupaea, who has recovered from a knee problem which ruled him out of the fourth test against the Springboks.

Other notable selections include Shannon Frizell’s inclusion as loose forward cover on the reserves bench for what will be his first test for the All Blacks since the 2023 World Cup final.

Tupou Vaa’i has been selected at blindside flanker, with Wallace Sititi starting at No.8 in the absence of the injured Ardie Savea, and Peter Lakai named at openside flanker.

Leroy Carter has been named on the left wing, with Will Jordan on the right, as expected. Cam Roigard will start at halfback inside McKenzie.

Ethan de Groot, skipper Codie Taylor and Fletcher Newell make up the front row, with Anton Segner also named as loose forward cover on the bench.

The All Blacks have no specialist back-up lock, but Vaa’i is likely to move to the second row in favour of Scott Barrett in the second half, assuming the former captain finds the going difficult after such a long break from the game due to his sabbatical and recent back surgery.

Rieko Ioane and Josh Moorby make up the back reserves, along with back-up halfback Kyle Preston, further pointers to Rennie’s belief that the test will be played at a high tempo.

“The Bledisloe Cup means a huge amount to this group,” Rennie said in a statement.

“There’s a lot of history and pride tied up in it, and every Test against the Wallabies carries real weight for us.

“We have huge respect for this Australian side and the way they have been playing. We know we’ll need to be at our best.

“We’ve been on the road for the last eight games, so the boys are rapt to be home and really looking forward to running out at Eden Park one last time this year.”

All Blacks team to play Australia

(Caps in brackets)

1. Ethan de Groot (45),

2. Codie Taylor (112) – Captain

3. Fletcher Newell (41)

4. Scott Barrett (89)

5. Josh Lord (17)

6. Tupou Vaa’i (51)

7. Peter Lakai (14)

8. Wallace Sititi (23)

9. Cam Roigard (24)

10. Damian McKenzie (81)

11. Leroy Carter (10)

12. Jordie Barrett (85)

13. Quinn Tupaea (29)

14. Will Jordan (61)

15. Beauden Barrett (145).

Reserves:

16. Asafo Aumua (26)

17. George Bower (29)

18. Pasilio Tosi (17)

19. Shannon Frizell (33)

20. Anton Segner (2)

21. Kyle Preston (5)

22. Rieko Ioane (89)

23. Josh Moorby (5)