Mr Mabey said the man was considered a suspect in "a homicide inquiry" and his name should not be published.
Police have said they believed the incident the accused was involved in, and the discovery of Taneka Tiepa-Ranapia's body outside an Ohauiti house on Sunday morning, were linked.
The Herald understands a tangi for Mr Tiepa-Ranapia, who had connections to the Bloods and Mongrel Mob gangs, began at a Papamoa house on Monday.
