Second man appears in court charged with Kevin Ratana murder

Kevin Ratana was shot at his Puriri St home on August 21.

A second man has appeared in court charged with the murder of Whanganui man Kevin Ratana.

Police have charged two senior Black Power members with the murder the Mongrel Mob member who was shot outside his home on August 21 while leaving to go to the gym.

Two more shots were fired inside the house where adults and children were hiding.

A 38-year-old man appeared in Whanganui District Court on Tuesday charged with murder and was remanded to reappear on November 7.

Meanwhile, a 31-year-old from Naenae appeared briefly in the Lower Hutt District Court also charged with the murder.

A woman in the public gallery called out "I love you" to the man, who blew her a kiss before being led back down to the cells.

He was also remanded without plea to appear in the High Court at Whanganui in November. Both have interim name suppression.

"We would like to thank the Whanganui community for their courage and fortitude in standing against gang violence," Detective Senior Sergeant Philip Skoglund said.

"Police continue to seek assistance from the public in relation to the movements of five men who walked to Kevin's address on the morning of August 21."

The scene after August's fatal shooting.

Twelve people were already facing several charges as a result of the homicide inquiry, including threatening to kill, unlawful possession of ammunition and participation in an organised crime group.

The names of those 12 men were suppressed last month but suppression is to be reconsidered on November 30 when they are due to reappear in court.

Ratana's funeral was held on August 27 and attracted an increased police presence in Whanganui, including the eye-in-the-sky Eagle helicopter, as gang numbers in the city swelled to more than 100.

Mongrel Mob members, family and friends mourned Kevin Ratana at a tangi on the River Rd in Parikino.

As Ratana's tangi was under way, police carried out a hefty raid on several Black Power houses around the corner from Puriri St, making a number of arrests and seizing guns.