"Moana wanted the best in life - she wanted to get ahead," sister Leanna Roma said yesterday.
But when Miss Aranui told her partner, Matakaua (Karl) Ngaruaine Rouvi, she was leaving him because she thought he had been unfaithful, he killed her.
On January 26 this year, the day after she told him she was leaving him, Miss Aranui (21) went to the South Dunedin home she and Rouvi (51) had shared, to inform the other occupants she had terminated the lease.
While there, she got into an argument with Rouvi, who went to his car, took two boning knives from it and stabbed Miss Aranui in the chest.
He then chased her around the property, stabbing her repeatedly, wounding her 21 times in all, before stabbing himself five times in the chest.
Miss Aranui died in a carport, 70m along the road from the house.
The pair's 3-year-old daughter witnessed the attack on her mother.
Rouvi, who pleaded guilty to a murder charge earlier this year, was sentenced yesterday to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 12 years when he appeared in the High Court at Dunedin.
Afterwards, Ms Roma described her half-sister as a gentle, caring, generous and private person who was trying to break things off with a man she felt could not provide her and her daughter with a secure future.
It was her sister's nice nature that had led to that fatal last visit, she said.
She had gone to the house to tell Rouvi and his family, who also lived there, that she had ended the lease and they three weeks to find a new place.
"She could have texted them that, but she was that sort of person - she wanted to tell them face to face, to be nice."
The previous day, Miss Aranui had broken off her relationship with Rouvi because she believed he had had an affair.
During the sentencing, Justice Panckhurst referred to nine victim impact statements from Miss Aranui's family members, who all spoke of their personal loss and their concern and anguish for 3-year-old Jahnae, who had lost her mother and effectively her father as well.
Ms Roma said the family - Miss Aranui's birth mother, adoptive mother, stepfather and four adopted siblings, two half-brothers and five half-sisters - had been in great shock at her death and were still taking things day to day.
"It's been hard; it's up and down. You have good days, you have bad days."
Miss Aranui's adoptive mother now had custody of Jahnae, with the extended family helping raise her.
Although aged only 3, Jahnae had been affected by what happened too.
"She knows. She talks highly of her mother all the time."
At the time of her death, Miss Aranui's plans centred around getting out of her relationship, but she also had plans to secure Jahnae's future.
She had been to Winz that day to set up a benefit while she undertook some training.
She was meant to have started a small business and administration course that day.
"She wanted to get ahead. She hated things like being in debt."
The couple had argued, as many couples did.
Miss Aranui's family were aware Rouvi had issues with drink and jealousy and that he had cheated in previous relationships.
But they were not particularly concerned about the couple's relationship.
"This came entirely out of the blue. We did not see this coming."
She now wished she had gone with her sister that day.
"I expected an argument. If I'd known this was going to happen, I wouldn't have let her go there."
