Woman charged over murder of Kiwi man in Melbourne

Zane Meyer. Photo / Supplied

A woman has been charged over the murder of a New Zealand man whose body was found in Melbourne's southeast this week.

The body of Zane Meyer, 26, was found in semi-rural land at Lysterfield on Wednesday after an investigation by missing persons squad detectives.

A 37-year-old Cranbourne woman, who police say was known to Meyer, has been charged with his murder.

It is expected she will appear in Melbourne Magistrates' Court tonight.

Meyer was last heard from on May 11, sparking fears for his safety from his family as he was known to regularly contact his mum, Andrea.

Meyer also went by the name Rànbow Treè.

A close friend of Meyer's, Lexy Brady, said he loved being out in the world and exploring and she will always remember his adventurous and kind spirit.

"Zane loved soaking up the people and admiring nature," she told the Leader.

"He used to go to every music festival and he had knowledge about things I couldn't even dream of. He was so smart, just like his mum and dad.

"He didn't have a mean bone in him — and I know people probably say that, but in all the years I never saw him be horrible to anyone.

"There was a sense of adventure in everything he did."

Detectives, who had been examining his disappearance, set up a crime scene at Lysterfield, near Nixon Rd close to where his body was found.

Meyer had been described by those who knew him as a bit of a hippy and a "funny, caring young man with a gentle heart of gold".

He normally worked in the Victorian or New Zealand snow fields during winter and was a keen skateboarder and snowboarder.

His father Austin had made the trip from interstate and had been in Melbourne for more than a week looking for him.