Tauranga man killed in front of his wife

12.45 pm

A Tauranga man was stabbed to death in front of his wife this morning after being attacked in his home by a knife-welding intruder.

The man, believed to be Noel McKenzie, a bricklayer, had been in bed asleep with his wife, Anne, in their home in the Tauranga suburb of Pillans Point just before 5am when he was confronted by the unmasked intruder.

Mr McKenzie, believed to be aged about 60, suffered multiple fatal stab wounds to his chest in the ensuing attack.

He died in the house and his body still lay there late this morning as detectives and forensic experts began their investigation.

Police said they received a call from a woman around 5.00 this morning telling them her husband had been stabbed.

Detective Inspector Graham Bell, the officer in charge of the investigation, told the Bay of Plenty Times this morning: "This is a terrible thing. We had a man at home in bed minding his own business when he was subjected to this brutal and fatal attack."

He said the man's wife was in a state of shock but was speaking with a woman detective at a neighbour's home.

She was doing her best to help police with their investigation but had no idea of the identity of her husband's attacker.

Mr Bell described the murder scene as a very pleasant part of Tauranga in a leafy, tree-lined cul de sac.

Shortly after 8am police guards cordoned off the property, at the end of the cul-de-sac, as well as about 100m of road leading up to the house.

A team of 30 police and experts are involved in the hunt for the killer.

Detectives have not yet formally named the victim or given his age, but the Times understands him to be Raymond Noel McKenzie, who is known as Noel.

A neighbour who knew the couple well confirmed the victim was Mr McKenzie.

He said the McKenzies had lived in their Myres St house for 11 years, a year less than his family.

The families had become good friends and he was devastated to discover Mr McKenzie had been killed.

"They're a lovely, very caring couple. I'm just dumbstruck," he said. "They were neat neighbours.

"It's the sort of thing you just don't every think will happen in your patch."

Mr McKenzie spent the final years of his long bricklaying career working alongside his son Raymond who operates his own business in Tauranga.

The manager of one supply company who knew the dead man well told the Times: "Noel was a weather-beaten old bugger. He was a hardworking and honest citizen, and was well liked by people in the industry.

"He came in occasionally to buy stuff and I often saw him out on the building sites. I think he had eased up a bit."

The manager said Mr McKenzie had been in the trade in the Bay of Plenty "for a long time" and decided to work for his son five years ago. "It's absolutely tragic for the family."

Bay of Plenty MP Tony Ryall said he was shocked by the stabbing.

"It is a shocking day when something like this happens in the Bay of Plenty, an area that has been reasonably free of this horrific violence. We don't hear about these horrific circumstances all that often in our region. It's awful, its dreadful."

Police have appealed to anyone who might have seen or heard anything in the Pillans Point area, particularly around Myres Street, in the early hours of this morning, to contact Tauranga police on 5774300 or 0800 Speak Up (0800 7732587).

- BAY OF PLENTY TIMES