A 35-year-old man charged with the murder of 48-year-old Kimble Moore appeared before Judge Greg Davis in the Kaitaia District Court by audio-visual link yesterday.
He was remanded in custody without plea to appear in the High Court at Whangarei on March 16.
Mr Moore was reported missing from Taipa in March, police later upgrading the inquiry to homicide.
His body was found in a shallow grave in bush in the Fairburn area, south-east of Kaitaia, in September.
Judge Davis imposed interim suppression orders prohibiting publication of the name of the accused or any details of the offence, saying identification could jeopardise his right to a fair trial.
