Nathan Fenton appears in Whangarei High Cout in 2007. Photo: NZME/Malcolm Pullman
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One of Northland's most notorious murderers will spend another year in prison, after being denied parole for a second time.
In April 2007, Nathan Charles Fenton was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years for killing girlfriend Mairina Dunn.
Fenton, who was aged 31 and a Black Power member at the time, admitted subjecting the 17-year-old to a 90-minute beating with a sawn-off shotgun.
The attack was so forceful, it bent the shotgun barrel and splintered the butt.
In an hour-long hearing on Wednesday, the Parole Board heard Fenton had been an exemplary prisoner for the past 15 months and had mentored young offenders through the prison's Tuakana-Teina programme, but that was not enough to persuade the three-member board to grant parole.
In particular, board members were concerned about how difficult it would be for Fenton to return to life on the outside, given he had never had a job or lived what they called a "pro-social life" before prison.
In a message conveyed by board convenor Kathryn Snook, Mairina's family said her death had a huge effect on them and was something they continued to have to live with every day.
The family also reiterated their request for an exclusion zone prohibiting Fenton from travelling to Auckland or Northland.
Fenton told the board he was ashamed of what he had done and sorry for the shame he had brought on his family.
"If I could turn back the hands of time, I would," he said.
Fenton's case manager said there were no concerns with his behaviour in prison, he was remorseful and determined to leave his former criminal lifestyle behind.
He had taken part in a guided release programme that involved working at a timberyard and had made two attempts to meet the victim's family for restorative justice, although that had not been successful.
Despite Fention's good progress in prison, Snook said re-integration had been difficult, partly because he was excluded from Auckland, where many of the release-to-work opportunities were.
A psychologist's report found Fenton had a high risk of general re-offending and a medium risk of violent offending, an assessment unchanged from last year.
Fenton had sought a release next month to a rehabilitation and accommodation provider, the name of which was suppressed.
Snook said Fenton's high re-integration needs - given that he started offending at the age of 18, had never led a pro-social life or had a job outside jail - meant he needed a stronger, more-controlled environment.
She was also concerned at his lack of a support network, because most of his family lived in Whangārei and Auckland, places he would be unable to visit.
Another board member, Dr Jeremy Skipworth, echoed those concerns, saying most people in Fenton's situation did not stay long out of prison after release. "A very high level of support and structure" was needed.
Mairina Dunn was just 17 when boyfriend Nathan Fenton beat her to death. Photo: Supplied
Skipworth praised Fenton's goal of continuing with youth mentoring, but at this "perilous stage" of his own journey, he needed to focus on himself, before trying to help others.
"You've kind of excelled at everything you've done - as a criminal, gang member, a drug-selling, violent man. You've done very well in prison as well, but can you do well as a pro-social member of the community?
"We just don't know."
Fenton said working with young offenders on the Tuakana-Teina mentoring programme had given him a better understanding of his own path.
"These young men were lacking what I lacked - positive role models - and seeing how destructive their lifestyles were allowed me to reflect on where I was at at their age."
He became emotional at one point, as he recalled his own upbringing.
Quizzed on what he could remember of the August 2006 attack on Mairina, Fenton recalled "lashing out" and going into a rage, believing she had cheated on him. He also recalled ordering three women at the house to help clean up afterwards.
Snook said the board would meet again in February 2026 to consider parole for the third time.
In the meantime, she hoped he would be accepted by another, "stronger" rehabilitation programme, the name of which is also suppressed, and begin reintegration testing.
She ordered a safety plan be prepared in the event of Fenton's release next year and called for a follow-up to last year's whānau hui.
Fenton's previous Parole Board appearance was in September 2024. Before that hearing, board members met Mairina's mother, Queenie Dunn.
She told them at that time she remained "absolutely opposed" to Fenton's release, saying she believed he was still capable of the violence inflicted on her daughter.
A veteran police officer interviewed after her death described it as "violence on an unimaginable scale".
