Laxman Rajamani, a 36-year-old accountant, was found guilty by a jury in the High Court at Auckland of murdering Chitralekha Ramakrishnan at their home in January, 2005.

The prosecution alleged that Rajamani, who was upset his wife wanted to end their relationship, bashed her over the head with a brick before slashing her throat in the kitchen of their home.

Rajamani had been convicted by a High Court jury in 2006 but the Supreme Court last year quashed the ruling and ordered a retrial, the New Zealand Press Association reported.

Justice Judith Potter sentenced Rajamani to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole term of 12 years.

Rajamani admitted to killing his wife but said he was provoked into doing so and was guilty instead of manslaughter. The prosecution argued that Rajamani's actions clearly met the threshold of murder and that the provocation defence did not apply.