A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of Mitchell Paterson at McLaren Falls near Tauranga.
Mitchell Curtis Rehua Paterson. Photo: Facebook/Mitchell Paterson
The body of Mr Paterson, of Ngaruawahia, was found in water on 13 July.
The police arrested a 36-year-old man in Paeroa on Friday night and charged him with kidnapping and murdering the 26-year-old the day before he was found.
The man appeared briefly in the Hamilton District Court and was remanded in custody until 7 August, when he will appear in the High Court.
He's been granted interim name suppression.
He was one of two people arrested in relation to Mr Paterson's death.
A 27-year-old man has been charged with being an accessory after the fact and is due to appear in Hamilton District Court next week.
Two other men were arrested during the investigation but the charges are not directly related to Mr Paterson's death.
A 49-year-old man is accused of presenting a firearm at police and unlawful possession of a firearm.
And a 33-year-old man is facing a charge of breach of release conditions.
