The mother of slain police officer Matthew Hunt says "no sentence will bring Matthew back".
Diane Hunt spoke outside the High Court in Auckland after her son's killer, Eli Epiha, was sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum non-parole period of 27 years.
He was also handed a term of 12 years for attempted murder and a year for dangerous driving causing injury, to be served concurrently.
Justice Geoffrey Venning handed down the sentence to Epiha, 25, who fired 14 gunshots at Constable Hunt and his partner Constable David Goldfinch in a West Auckland street in June last year.
READ MORE: Constable Hunt's mum speaks powerfully as killer jailed for at least 27 years
Flanked by her daughter, Ellie Hunt, and National MP Mark Mitchell, Hunt said while Epiha's sentencing brought an end to the court process "it will never change the horrific outcome of that day which led to Matthew being murdered".
"It’s hard for me to stand here and try to put in words or a statement the affect losing Matthew has had on us all, let alone the manner in which he was taken. There are no words which can describe it, but all I can say is that we will never be the same people we were before his cruel and callous murder."
She said it was "disturbing" police officers were still facing the same threat "on a very regular basis" and sent her "best wishes" to the three officers shot and injured in Glen Eden last Monday.
"As a mother I cannot describe the terrible feeling of losing a child. I don’t want another mother to ever get the news that their strong, kind, and brave son is never coming home again.
"I will continue to work hard in Matthew’s memory and for David and all their police friends and colleagues to make sure that they have every chance of being able to protect themselves and the public they serve."
"We now face our second Christmas without Matthew, but he is with us in our thoughts and hearts and he will never be forgotten," Hunt ended.
She said she had spoken to Epiha's uncle, Warren Epiha, afterwards and shook his hand. She said it was not Warren Epiha's crime or the shame of that crime to bear.
Hunt said Epiha had to take responsibility and reflected she felt "vindicated" when Venning said Epiha's supposed remorse was "too little, too late".
Mitchell said Epiha had been making gang signals as he left the court, describing him as a "coward" and stating: "That probably gives you a good indication of how much remorse is sitting with Epiha at the moment".
Speaking to media after Hunt's family left, Police Commissioner Andrew Coster also said "nothing will bring Matt back".
"The decision of the court today brings some closure and relief and I'm sure across the police organisation people will be pleased to see the back of this."
Coster reflected: "It’s a sad day when police appears as a victim in court, but it was really important for the voice of the organisation to be heard about the impact this terrible event has had right across our whole organisation.
"This was a cold, callous and brutal gunning down of one of our own. It was an attack not just on New Zealand Police, but on our community."
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