The motorcyclist accused of causing a crash that killed his friend and denying any knowledge of the accident appeared in the Whanganui District Court on Tuesday for a case review hearing.
James Eric Hiroki, 52, has pleaded not guilty to eight charges – the most serious being driving dangerously causing death.
The charges relate to a fatal incident on State Highway 1 near the Rangitikei town of Ohingaiti on November 12 last year.
Another motorcyclist, 54-year-old James Gregory Nelson, died after his motorcycle and two cars collided. Three other people were hospitalised with moderate to serious injuries.
Judge Philip Crayton remanded Hiroki on bail for a pre-trial call over on July 30. The judge said it was likely trial would take place "late in the year or early 2019" and was expected to take five days.
