Henderson homicide: Not guilty plea entered for man accused of Aitasi Hohenberger's murder

A not guilty plea was entered today on behalf of a man accused of fatally shooting a woman in West Auckland last month.

Name suppression remains in place for the 34-year-old Pollok resident, who was charged with murder on July 13, one day after Ministry of Social Development employee Aitasi Carmella Hohenberger was found critically injured at a Newington Rd home in Henderson.

Emergency responders arrived at the house around 9pm, shortly after neighbours reported hearing gunshots and a car speeding away. Hohenberger, 34, was given first aid but the Te Atatū resident died at the scene.

The defendant appeared in Waitakere District Court on the day of his arrest but today was the first time the case was called in the High Court at Auckland.

Police staff attend the scene where Aitasi Carmella Hohenberger was fatally shot in July. Photo / Tom Dillane

Justice Sally Fitzgerald set a three-week trial date for November next year after lawyer Annabel Ives enter the not guilty plea on her client's behalf.

The case is expected to be called again in October for review, although the defendant's attendance is excused.

Ministry of Social Development chief executive Debbie Power expressed condolences to Hohenberger's friends and family last month.

"We are wrapping support around her workmates and the wider MSD whānau," Power said.