Body believed to be owner of building

Maxie William Furgson Duncan (R). Photo / Supplied

The body found in a burnt-out building in South Westland last Friday is believed to be the property's owner.

"At this time police believe the deceased is likely to be the resident of the property, Maxie William Furgson Duncan, aged 77," Tasman district police communications manager Barbara Dunn said.

Forensic testing would confirm the identity, and a post-mortem examination would determine the cause of death.

It would be some time before a positive identification could be made, she said.

The 20m x 30m building was reported to the Fox Glacier Volunteer Fire Brigade as being ablaze at 3am Thursday.

Emergency services were working to establish the cause of the fire, and police were speaking to friends and family of the deceased.

Mr Duncan was a well-known South Westland identity and a former Ngai Tahu-appointed trustee of the West Coast Development Trust.

He lived in the corrugated iron shed, where the mezzanine floor had been converted into a bach. The building was also used as a workshop and stored a quantity of salvaged wood and other flammable materials used by Mr Duncan to craft furniture.

He was nowhere to be seen when a male relative discovered the smouldering ruin when he returned from an overnight hunting trip.

Mr Duncan's vehicles were at the property and his dogs tied up.

The shed sits on Maori reserve land about 730m west of State Highway 6 on the Mai Mai straight, south of the Karangarua River Bridge.

Karangarua resident James Scott said the police presence in the neighbourhood was obvious this morning as the investigation into the fire and the whereabouts of Mr Duncan continued.

He described the missing man as a "real character" who was part of the fabric of South Westland and who particularly knew a lot about the area's history.

- Westport News