Eli Epiha opened fire at Hunt and Constable David Goldfinch in a West Auckland street in June last year.
The 25-year-old fled a routine traffic stop, crashed into a parked car and a bystander in Reynella Drive in Massey, shot 10 bullets at the two officers with a Norinco semi-automatic weapon and then fled.
In early July this year, Epiha admitted to murdering 28-year-old Hunt and reckless driving causing injury, but claimed he had fired the gun at Goldfinch only to scare him away.
Later that month after a two-week trial and 10 hours of deliberations, a jury also found him guilty of the attempted murder of Goldfinch.
Epiha and Goldfinch both gave evidence during the trial, and a second defendant - getaway driver Natalie Bracken - was found guilty of being an accessory after the fact.
In October, she was sentenced to 12 months in jail.
Justice Venning also ordered Epiha to serve 12 years for the attempted murder of Goldfinch and one year for the injury of a bystander who was hit by Epiha's car as he fled the scene.
In summarising the facts of the case, the judge described Constable Goldfinch's testimony during trial as "chilling".
Justice Venning said it is "nonsense" for Epiha to maintain he didn't mean to kill Constable Hunt and "criminals need to know that the use of firearms against police officers will have severe consequences."
Justice Venning rejected Epiha's suggestion that he should get a discount from his sentence for remorse.
"Your arrogant attitude throughout the trial...was obvious for all to see."
"The name Epiha will be remembered for your cowardly killing of an unarmed police officer. That is a shame you and your whānau will bear into the future."
Justice said life without parole sentence would be manifestly unjust, due in part to Epiha's age.
Life won't be the same again, says grieving mother
Earlier while giving an emotional victim impact statement, Diane Hunt said her son was unarmed and running away when Epiha shot him four times in the back.
"You never pointed your gun at any other people on the street that day. Your targets were only the two police officers.
"The jury saw you for what you are - a killer."
She said Epiha made a decision to murder the two police officers simply because of their uniforms and her life would never be the same again.
"I spend time with my son's ashes, surrounded by pictures, and it's not enough... I'm struggling to continue."
David Goldfinch, the officer who survived the shooting, said Epiha is a coward for not taking responsibility.
"I stared you in the face. I know exactly what you tried to do."
"I'm not going to waste any more of my time on you."
Sam Swaffield read out a statement from himself and Hunt's other friends. He told Epiha he is stuck in a constant cycle of grief and despair and that 34 seconds of selfish, unprovoked rage had changed their lives.
"Your decision meant a group of friends had to go through the process of ringing each other to tell them that their mate had been shot and killed for no reason, to hear the shock, the grief, the disbelief over and over again."
Epiha's lawyer, Marcus Edgar, asked to read aloud a letter of remorse from his client. Justice Venning declined the request but the letter will be made available to victims later, adding that he's already read it,
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said police never expect to be deliberately targeted as they carry out routine police duties.
"More than a year later, not a day goes by without Matthew being in our thoughts."
The events that day have caused unnecessary anxiety for officers and their families, Coster said.
He acknowledged support from the community.
"It made a real difference to know our community stood by us during this difficult time. His memory will live on and he will never be forgotten."
How the shooting happened
On June 19 in 2020, Eli Bob Sauni Epiha claimed he was on his way to defend his brother-in-law from gang members.
He drove to an address in Massey and collected two loaded firearms from a friend, which he said he planned to "brandish" but not use.
Epiha had just turned onto Reynella Drive when his driving caught the attention of two police officers - Matthew Hunt and David Goldfinch - who began to follow him.
Epiha told the court he "gapped it" in a bid to get away from the police, then abruptly encountered a rubbish truck, braked hard, and spun 180 degrees.
His car hit a parked Toyota Prius and a 37-year-old bystander - whose skull was lacerated and back and ribs fractured.
When the two officers pulled up, Goldfinch got out and walked towards the crash site, expecting he might need to provide first aid.
Instead he encountered Epiha walking towards him, holding a semi-automatic firearm.
Epiha fired what he said was a "warning shot" towards a patch of trees, shortly followed by another bullet that hit a car tyre, and then more as Goldfinch hid behind a parked SUV and then ran down the street.
Epiha shot Goldfinch twice in the leg and once in the hip as the officer fled.
Matthew Hunt then stepped out of the car. Epiha shot him four times - in the chest, lower back, right buttock and inside of his right thigh.
Due to the upwards trajectory of three of the bullets, Hunt had no chance of survival.
He was taken to hospital and pronounced dead at 11.40am.
While Goldfinch sheltered and called for backup, Epiha waved down a bystander for a getaway ride.
Natalie Bracken was that bystander. She had been at a friend's house enjoying a cup of tea and a cigarette, and was drawn outside by the commotion. She decided to help Epiha although she maintains she did not know him.
During the trial, the jury watched a phone recording of Bracken - dressed in jeans, a bra and bare feet - retrieving a set of keys and driving Epiha away in a silver Mazda.
She dropped him at his friend's house in Taupaki.
That friend - Shane Conza - gave Epiha a lift to a patch of forest in Riverhead, where he ditched the two firearms.
Minutes later two eagle-eyed police officers - Robert Cato and Eli Antunovich - pulled over Shane Conza's car "by intuition" and arrested the two men.
They knew to look out for a potential gunman with dark hair, who could be wearing a camouflage shirt. They found that shirt scrunched in the boot of the car.
Epiha's use of the fake name "Trevor Thompson, spelt with a P" only served to further their suspicion.
Bracken was arrested at a house in Te Atatū the following day with freshly died hair.
- RNZ and NZ Herald
