Panmure stabbing: Not guilty plea entered on murder defendant's behalf

A not guilty plea has been entered on behalf of murder accused Bradford Damian Kipa, more than three months after the 48-year-old Manurewa East resident is accused of having stabbed another man to death.

Defence lawyer Terence Darby declined to enter a plea on his client's behalf as they appeared at the High Court at Auckland on Wednesday via an audio-video feed.

Justice Sally Fitzgerald, however, deemed a not guilty verdict on Kipa's behalf so that preparations for his October 2022 trial can continue.

Kipa is accused of having killed John Tofu Ioane, 52, in Panmure on August 23 - less than a week into what was then Auckland's strict alert level 4 Covid-19 lockdown.

The defendant remains in custody to await his next case review hearing, set for February.

People who knew Ioane have described him a someone whose "heart was for his children" and who "would do anything and everything for them".

Emergency services arrived at Tripoli Rd residence at around 7.30 on the night of his death, after receiving reports of an "altercation".

Authorities reported finding him in critical condition with stab wounds. CPR was administered but he died at the scene, police said at the time.