Moeroa Uriaro, 50, appeared in the Dunedin District Court on Tuesday after earlier admitting five charges of indecent assault, which represented half a decade of abuse.
The court heard that from 1986 to 1991 the defendant committed sex crimes targeting the same young girl about 20 times a year, often on a weekly basis.
Uriaro was 13 when he first started offending against the girl.
Over time, the acts became more intrusive, intense and demeaning until he reached adulthood and stopped.
"[Due to] the scale and the intensity of the indecent assaults ... and the lifelong harm that the offending has caused, it’s difficult for me to conceive that home detention is an adequate response," Mr Smith said.
"Its ripple effects have gone wide and far, even beyond the victim."
Counsel Sarah Saunderson-Warner said home detention was appropriate as the offending was isolated and had not continued in his adult life.
She argued Uriaro had lived a blameless life since the offending and had contributed to his community.
Judge David Robinson said the statement the victim wrote to the court was one of the saddest he had read.
"I think it would be an understatement for me to say that your offending has had profound and ongoing effects on your victim," he said.
"Your victim was robbed of her childhood innocence and so much more."
The judge took into account Uriaro’s youth at the time of his offending and that he had suffered abuse in his upbringing.
He agreed the defendant displayed good character, including in his role as a tutor at a community college.
He sentenced the defendant to nine and a-half months’ home detention and 250 hours’ community work.
"This likely impresses as an inadequate response," Judge Robinson said.
"It’s one that I think the law compels me to impose."
