An unemployed Matamata man was granted bail when he appeared on a murder charge in the Hamilton District Court.
But Darren John Visser, aged 27, was told he has to live at his sister's house until his next court appearance on April 24. His sister is a police sergeant at Turangi.
Visser
is charged with the murder of Nathan Waka Harris, 26, of Matamata, who died from stab wounds after a fight near the Cuebar on Broadway in Matamata about 4 am on Sunday.
Mr Harris is understood to have earlier broken up a fight between a man and a woman at the bar.
Detective Senior Sergeant Pete Devoy, of Hamilton, said Mr Harris was stabbed several times with a sharp object, believed to be a knife.
Police were not sure how the fight started and had not found a weapon.
They were not seeking anyone else in relation to Mr Harris' death.
"It was a big night in Matamata and a lot of things were happening. We are uncertain about numbers, but we know a number of people were around when the altercation happened, and we need to speak to those people."
A resident who has known Mr Harris for 20 years said the victim was a gentle, fit man but would not back away from trouble.
"He was a neat guy. He came from a neat family."
Detective Senior Sergeant Devoy said police would still like to talk to anyone who was near the Cuebar between 2 am and 4 am on Sunday.
- NZPA
