Sio Fakaosilotu Faiva, 29, told police he "simply cannot control his anger".
He appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday where he was jailed for three years, seven months, after pleading guilty to two counts of strangulation, five of assault in a family relationship, assaulting a child and wilful damage.
In February, Faiva and the victim were at a supermarket when an argument developed, prompting them to leave.
During the journey home, the defendant punched the woman twice in the ear, breaking her earring.
The victim stopped the car and Faiva fled, but his temper had not diminished by the time he returned home.
The court heard the man dragged her into a bedroom by her hair and punched her twice in the back of the head.
Faiva grabbed her by the neck, then used one hand to cover her mouth to stifle her screams.
Her lips and tongue turned blue and her body went limp.
When the defendant released his grip, the victim vomited.
"That’s a really serious strangulation," Judge David Robinson said.
A week later, after accompanying the victim on her work shift, Faiva found her using her cellphone in the bathroom and again became enraged.
After chasing her through the house, the man grabbed her by the throat and slammed her on to the bed, winding her.
Faiva was charged and appeared in court, but despite bail conditions restricting him from contact with the victim, his violent and controlling behaviour continued.
The defendant found the woman at work and hooked his arm around her neck, "whipping her body back around towards him".
After shouting at the victim for 10 minutes, Faiva left the scene.
Just weeks later, on April 11, the man went to the victim’s home and again grabbed her by the hair, wrenching her head around, "causing her to feel like she was getting punched".
When he discovered she had messaged a friend, he smashed the cellphone with a sledgehammer and pinned her against the wall by her neck.
The pressure was such that the victim said she could feel her heartbeat in her eyeballs and lost control of her bodily functions.
Before being arrested, Faiva picked his partner up and slammed her body on to the floor.
The victim said she had no desire for further contact from the defendant and hoped he received the help he needed.
In a statement, she told the court Faiva’s violence had been normalised and she lived in fear before he was eventually locked up.
Counsel Brian Kilkelly said his client described his rages as like a "red mist" descending and he welcomed help in controlling his anger.
"The defendant is appalled at his actions, appalled that he lashed out in the way he did."
A report on Faiva’s background detailed his move from Tonga as a child and adoption in New Zealand.
The report writer believed the man had strong unresolved issues relating to his perceived abandonment by his biological family which needed to be addressed.
The judge granted a protection order in favour of the victim.
