"I was watching Coronation St and Rambo last night and then I heard this noise outside and it was the police and they wouldn't tell us anything," he said.
"We never have any incidents here, we're all pensioners, we're all gold carders.
"It's so quiet out here, sometimes you've got to knock on the door to see if anybody is alive."
Resident Zijab Garibovic, 70, has been charged with murder and will appear in court on Monday after undergoing a mental health evaluation.
Garibovic, understood to be a Russian immigrant, speaks no English and needs an interpreter.
Another resident said the accused had lived in his unit since 2010 but kept to himself because he struggled to speak English.
"Now and again, he would say hello and I'd say hello back," she said.
Residents said that he frequently drank with another pensioner living at the complex.
Police were yesterday completing a scene examination and were looking for objects in trees and under cars.
Detective Senior Sergeant Aaron Pascoe said it was clear that something violent occurred.
"However, we are not looking for anyone else in relation to this incident," he said.
Police were also notifying the man's next of kin.
Housing New Zealand spokeswoman Cassandra Rivers said the organisation would not comment on the incident because it was still being investigated by police.
• Do you have any information? Email us at news@hos.co.nz.
