The Police officer who led the investigation into the murder of Waimate man Anaru Moana is gutted his body hasn't been found

Moana was last seen five days before Christmas 2021 - on the same day his mother died in hospice.

A jury found three men guilty of murder, and a woman guilty of injuring with intent.

Detective Inspector Joel Syme says he doesn't want to sound cliché, but it was solid, determined, hard detective work and using every available tool, which made the difference.

But he says one of the main objectives is always returning loved ones to whanau and friends, so it's gutting to have have not done that yet.