Norfolk Island may ask New Zealand to bring a Nelson chef home to serve his sentence if he is found guilty of murder.
Glen McNeill is accused of killing Australian Janelle Patton five years ago but Norfolk officials are said to be worried about the cost of keeping him in an Australian jail if he is convicted.
McNeill has pleaded not guilty and is yet to face a jury but already plans are afoot in case he is convicted of Patton's murder.
One News has heard that if there is a guilty verdict Norfolk Island is suggesting the Nelson man could serve his sentence in New Zealand - partly to be closer to his wife, children and other family and friends.
Officials in Wellington are understood to be resisting such a move and government policy is for New Zealanders to do any jail time where they are convicted.
Norfolk's reasons are not just humanitarian.
One official told One News that New South Wales is charging the
island over $100,000 to keep McNeill on remand for one year and any
life sentence could cost more than 10 times as much. A New Zealand
sentence could be cheaper.
It is unclear whether Norfolk Island would be offering to pay for jail time served in New Zealand but the cost of the trial alone will strain its budget.
With lawyers, round the clock guards and video conference testimony the bill could pass half a million dollars by the end of the five week trial - about half of what the tiny territory spends each year on pensions.
And on top of the emotional cost of the murder officials worry that bad publicity has hurt tourism with visitor numbers at a 10 year low.
Some believe the trial will also see judgement passed on Norfolk's cherished reputation as a family holiday destination.
