Brenton Tarrant was sentenced yesterday (27 August) to life behind bars without the possibility of parole for carrying out the Christchurch terror attack last year.
It's the first time such a sentence has been handed down in New Zealand and was based around the 'enormity' of the crimes.
He was responsible for storming Al Noor and Linwood mosques on 15 March last year and unloading a shower of bullets on worshippers, killing 51 worshippers and injuring 40 others.
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While he carried out the attack on Kiwi soil and was sentenced in a Kiwi court, New Zealand's Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters wants Tarrant to serve his sentence in Australia due to his heritage.
Tarrant lived in Australia nearly all his life and moved across the Tasman just two years before carrying out his attack. The 29-year-old was born and raised in Grafton, New South Wales.
After the sentence was handed down, Peters said: "The judgment is the only one that matched the depravity of the terrorist's crimes against the Islamic community, and its devastating effect on all people living in this country.
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"New Zealand First also believes this terrorist should be returned to the country that raised him.
"Now is the time for Australia's Minister of Home Affairs, Peter Dutton, to receive and carry out the terrorist's sentence in Australia.
"The Islamic community and all of New Zealand has already suffered enough without having to pay astronomical prison costs to keep him safe in our prison system."
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But that is unlikely to happen if Australia's Attorney General is anyone to go by.
A spokesperson for Christian Porter's office says such a transfer can't happen because New Zealand isn't on the list of countries in which such a deal could be brokered. While Australia and New Zealand do deport nationals back to their country of origin if they commit a crime, Tarrant's does not fit.
"New Zealand is not a 'transfer country' under the ITP Act as it does not have any agreement or arrangement for prisoner transfers with Australia," the spokesperson said.
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Prime Minister Scott Morrison added he hasn't had a request from his Kiwi counterpart on the matter.
"It's normal practice that criminals convicted of these offences serve their sentences in that jurisdiction and that's my understanding of what the arrangements are," Morrison told reporters in Canberra.
"No request has been made to Australia for that to be any different."
Tarrant is costing New Zealand a whopping AUD $4,512 every day due to the extra security attached to his cell at Auckland's Paremoremo Prison. That will add up to around $1.6 million every year.
Featured Image Credit: PA