An Australian man has been jailed for just on 2½ years for travelling to New Zealand with thousands of images of dead and mutilated women and children on his computer.

Thomas Arpad Meyer, 56, an IT consultant from NSW, was caught with 4000 objectionable images when he travelled to New Zealand for a five-day business trip in April.

He was charged with eight counts of importing objectionable publications based on 39 images extracted from the 4000 found on his electronic devices.

The images had a focus on sexual violence and torture.

Meyer appeared in Auckland District Court where Judge Eddie Paul said his justifications showed how "distorted" his views were.