Two men in court after Ruakākā incident

The scene on Peter Snell Rd, Ruakākā where the body of Teina Pickering was found. Photo / Tania Whyte

Two men have appeared in court after the body of a 24-year-old was found in the seaside suburb of Ruakākā.

Police were called to Peter Snell Road about 4am on Thursday, where Ruakākā man, Teina Pickering was discovered lying on the road between Tamingi and Tamure streets.

Ethan Hokai, 28, faces two charges of resisting arrest, one charge of unlawfully possessing explosives and one charge of possessing an offensive weapon, namely a knife.

A tearful Hokai appeared before a JP in the Whangārei District Court on Monday and did not seek bail.

He was remanded in custody and will reappear on October 25.

A 29-year-old man who has name suppression appeared in court on Saturday.

He was remanded in custody and is due to return to court on October 17.

Shannon Pitman is a Whangārei-based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region. She is of Ngāpuhi/ Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked in digital media for the past five years. She joined NZME in 2023.