KEY POINTS:
Waitara police have named the man found in a ute they pulled out of the Waitara River on Monday.
He was Michael Patu, 73, from Waitara.
A passerby spotted the ute's roof about 11.30am yesterday, when the exiting tide lowered the water level around a boat ramp leading into the river.
Police do not regard the matter as suspicious and have referred the matter to the coroner.
- NZPA
