A man once jailed for kidnapping a woman on Great Barrier Island has now pleaded guilty to murdering a Christchurch woman.
Nathan Boulter, 36, appeared in the High Court at Christchurch this morning flanked by security guards as he admitted the murder, committed on July 23 in Parklands.
As he entered his plea, a woman in the public gallery shouted: “What goes around comes around, murdering ****.”
Justice Rachel Dunningham remanded Boulter in custody until December 12 for sentencing. The name of his victim remains suppressed.
2011 kidnapping on Great Barrier Island
Boulter’s name had been suppressed in the current case until now, but he is well known on Aotea for the 2011 kidnapping and assault of then-21-year-old Nortessa Montgomerie, now known as Nortessa Hammond.
At the time, Boulter travelled to the island under a false name while on bail for earlier assaults against her. He broke into her father’s Tryphena home, attacked her new partner Michael Stewart—leaving him with a fractured skull—and abducted Montgomerie.
Over the next 38 hours, he dragged her through bush and farmland during a storm, beating and strangling her before she convinced him to walk towards the wharf, where searchers found them.
In 2012, Boulter was sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to kidnapping, wounding with intent, and related charges. Justice Paul Heath described the violence as “extreme” and said Boulter’s ability to empathise with his victims was “tenuous at best.”
Repeat offending and parole concerns
After his release, Boulter reoffended, harassing and threatening another woman in Southland. In 2020 he was jailed again for stalking, assault, and contravening a protection order — including calling one woman 300 times in a single day.
Despite repeated warnings from the Parole Board about his risk to women, he was released last year after convincing the board he could be safely managed in the community. He was not under any conditions when the Christchurch killing occurred.
Hammond’s recent return to Aotea
Just two months ago, Hammond returned to Great Barrier Island to film a documentary about her 2011 ordeal and the community’s role in the search and rescue.
“I’m looking forward to being back on the island after seven years away, but as you can imagine it’s a mix of emotions,” she said at the time.
The production filmed across the island and invited locals involved in the original search to take part. Hammond said the project was deeply personal and aimed to tell “the full story of what happened — and the part the community played in saving my life.”
Boulter will be sentenced next month.
