Two men convicted of murder and aggravated robbery over the Red Fox Tavern shooting more than 30 years ago have been jailed for life.

Father of two Chris Bush, 43, was gunned down at the pub in Maramarua in October 1987 and the offenders fled with tens of thousands of dollars in cash, coins and cheques.

Mark Hoggart and another man with name suppression were found guilty after a seven-week trial in the High Court at Auckland earlier this year.

This morning, Justice Woolford sentenced both men to life imprisonment for murder. They would be eligible for parole after serving 10 years in prison.

The unnamed man has been sentenced to a concurrent eight year sentence for aggravated robbery, while Hoggart has a concurrent seven year sentence for aggravated robbery.

The two men were arrested and charged in 2017, after police decided to re-investigate the cold case in 2016.

During the trial, the jury heard the men were considered suspects in the earlier investigations, but there was never enough evidence to lay charges.

The Crown argued a web of circumstantial evidence pointed to the defendants being the two heavily-disguised offenders who burst into the tavern late on the Saturday night of Labour weekend in 1987.

Chris Bush, 43, and a father of two, was shot dead in October 1987. Photo: Supplied / NZ Police.

The Crown said the man with the sawn-off shotgun who fired at Bush was the unnamed defendant, while Hoggart was the man wielding a bat, who subdued the other bar staff and took the money from the safe.

The Crown said both men had a motive - they were effectively broke and needed the money from the robbery.

Their movements before and after the robbery were consistent with them having committed the crime, the Crown said, and they were not able to account for where they were at the time of the robbery and lied about it in their interviews with the police.

Both men appeared to come into a significant amount of cash in the days and weeks after Labour weekend, purchasing motorbikes and cars, the Crown said.

There was also evidence during the trial that the unnamed defendant had talked in prison about committing another aggravated robbery after his release, and the Red Fox Tavern had come up in conversation as a good target, the Crown said.

A car matching the description of one belonging to Hoggart was seen near the Red Fox Tavern the night before the robbery, with two men inside, and the Crown said it was the defendants scoping out the area in preparation.

During the trial, one Crown witness said the unnamed defendant also hinted at his involvement in the crime - and when the witness suggested to him that two shotguns would have been better, he replied "one shotgun and a bat was enough".

The Red Fox Tavern. Photo: RNZ / Katie Todd.

Lawyers for the two defendants argued that the wrong men were on trial.

The unnamed defendant's lawyer Christopher Stevenson said another man - Lester Hamilton - was responsible.

Hamilton died in 2003, but a prison inmate, who gave evidence for the defence, said Hamilton had confessed his involvement to him while they were both in jail.

Stevenson said the Crown needed to prove that Hamilton was not the offender - and there was far more evidence of Hamilton being responsible and his client was innocent.

Hoggart's lawyer Craig Tuck said his client had been almost invisible in the evidence heard during the trial and there was nothing that pointed to him being involved in the crime.

In a statement released this morning, Detective Senior Sergeant Albie Alexander says the sentencing concludes a 34-year-old case which was never far from the mind of the Bush family or Police investigators.

"Counties Manukau CIB staff, led by recently deceased Detective Inspector Gary Lendrum, set about reviewing the investigation in 2016 following new information coming to Police's attention.

"The investigators worked tirelessly on this historical case, ultimately leading to the arrest and charging of two individuals in 2017.

"I would also like to acknowledge the sound and solid foundations set for the team by previous Police staff in both previous investigations in 1987/88 and 1999/2000."

Albie says the subsequent trial and outcome are a testament to the professionalism and strength of not only the Bush family but witnesses, investigators and the Manukau Crown solicitors' staff that successfully prosecuted this matter.

The Bush family wish to convey to the public that they are extremely pleased with the outcome of the trial and thankful that those responsible have finally been held to account for what happened so many years ago.

"The family wished to acknowledge their friends, current and former Police staff that worked on the investigation and the Manukau Crown Solicitors office for their dedication and compassion shown to the family through what has been an extremely difficult 34 years," says Albie.

Chris's widow, Gaye Bush, says 'having some closure after all these years brings about a sense of relief and justice for the family and it is now time to move forward and put this painful chapter behind us”.

-Additional reporting by RNZ/Sarah Robson.