A Samoan woman who strangled her landlady in Tauranga using a lavalava will be immediately deported when she is freed from prison in the coming week.
Ema Neru has been serving a life sentence for the murder of 76-year-old Marta Webber in 2001.
Ms Neru, who immigrated to New Zealand in 1996, developed gambling problems which destroyed her marriage.
She fatally strangled Marta Webber following a dispute about unpaid rent.
The Parole Board says the 40-year-old has worked impressively in prison to gain skills to ensure that she won't reoffend, and now knows how to start her life again.
On being granted parole, Neru is said to have made a profound and heartfelt expression of regret for her actions and apologised to the people of New Zealand.
The board's ruling says once Neru is deported to Samoa, she is banned from re-entering New Zealand.
