Malcolm Rewa's bid to overturn his conviction for murdering Susan Burdett is delayed because his lawyer must provide a medical certificate showing he is fit to represent his client.
Malcolm Rewa appearing in the Auckland High Court for sentencing last year. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
Rewa was sentenced to life imprisonment last year after a jury found him guilty of bludgeoning Burdett to death in her South Auckland home in 1992.
At the Court of Appeal today, the judges adjourned the case until 1 April in Auckland.
They asked for Rewa's lawyer, Paul Chambers, to provide a medical report as to his current ability to represent Rewa.
The judges also ordered for Rewa to provide written consent that he is happy to be represented by Chambers.
Rewa is serving a sentence of preventive detention with a minimum non-parole period of 22 years for rape and other offending against 25 women.
His life sentence for Burdett's murder is running concurrently with that.
Teina Pora spent more than 20 years in prison for Burdett's murder before his convictions were quashed by the Privy Council in 2015.
He received more than $3.5 million in compensation for wrongful conviction and imprisonment.