Gustav Otto Sanft

Gustav Otto Sanft from Māngere, south Auckland, is serving a sentence of four years and 10 months for manslaughter over the death of his daughter, Amokura Daniels-Sanft, in 2016.

Sanft was also convicted for unlawful possession of a rifle and cannabis supply.

Sanft's defence argued he never intended to kill his daughter, but pulled the trigger of the shotgun, possibly not knowing the firearm was loaded, to scare her when she was "playing up".

Sanft has a statutory release date of April 30, 2022.

Instead, he says the gun went off in his hands while he looked it over and tried to light a cigarette, killing his daughter Amokura Daniels-Sanft.

Gustav Otto Sanft has denied a charge of the manslaughter of his daughter and is on trial at the High Court in Auckland.

The Crown argues Mr Sanft pointed the loaded shotgun at the child as she misbehaved on a sofa outside their Mangere home in June last year.

RNZ reports Mr Sanft's lawyers say the gun went off accidentally.

Senior Constable Jackie Fyfe was the first officer on the scene after the police car she was in was waved down on Favona Road in Mangere.

RNZ reports Gustav Otto Sanft is on trial in the High Court in Auckland for the manslaughter of his 2-year-old daughter, Amokura Daniels-Sanft.

Giving evidence, Ms Fyfe said she ran onto the driveway and heard a howl.

She said a man was holding a child with grievous head injuries.

Ms Fyfe said she needed to check for signs of life but the man would not put the child down.

Life is the maximum sentence for the crime.

In June last year Tania Shailer and David Haerewa were jailed for 17 years for the manslaughter of three years-old Moko Rangitoheriri.

Gustav Otto Sanft, who is of Tongan descent, appeared in the High Court yesterday following the death of his two years-old daughter in a shooting incident.

Kaniva News reports Sanft appeared before Mr Justice Geoffrey Venning.

The trial is expected to last three weeks.