Urewera remains likely to be Maori man

The human remains found near Te Urewera National Park in the Bay of Plenty are likely to have belonged to an adult Maori man.

The skeleton was found by hunters last Sunday in the Matera Forest, 90km southeast of Rotorua.

Detective Sergeant John Wilson said police had not been able to establish the cause of death.

He said samples of the remains had been taken by ESR scientists to be forensically tested and it was hoped a DNA test would confirm the identity.

He said results of the test will be known next week.

Last Friday, Mr Wilson told NZPA that the skeleton likely belonged to Hemi Tapson, murdered 28 years ago by a rival gang member, or tax investigator Pat Fisk, who disappeared more than 50 years ago.

He said the circumstances in which the remains were found made it unlikely the death was from natural causes.

- NZHERALD STAFF