Remuera eye surgeon Philip Polkinghorne can now be identified as the man who was charged today with murder for the Easter Monday death last year of his wife, Pauline Hanna.

Wearing jeans and a black leather jacket, Polkinghorne, 69, pleaded not guilty through lawyer Rachael Reed, QC, as he appeared this afternoon before Judge Andrea Manuel in the Auckland District Court.

Judge Manuel allowed him to be released on bail while awaiting trial.

He did not seek name suppression.

Pauline Hanna and Philip Polkinghorne at an event in December 2018. Photo / Norrie Montgomery

Police spent 11 days searching the couple's $4 million property on Upland Rd after her death on April 5, 2021, but for the 16 months that followed they consistently described the 63-year-old's death as "unexplained". That ended today.

In a statement released through his lawyer after the hearing, Polkinghorne expressed "shock" at being charged.

"I am shocked that the police have charged me. I have recorded that I am not guilty immediately. Now that the Police have charged me the matter is before the courts and I am not permitted to comment further," Polkinghorne said.

"The justice process must now run its course and I trust the truth will be shown. I thank my family and friends for their enduring love and support."

Polkinghorne, who formerly worked as a doctor at Auckland Eye, retired following his wife's death.

Philip Polkinghorne appeared in the dock at the Auckland District Court charged with the murder of his wife Pauline Hannah, Photo / Michael Craig

The senior health executive at Counties Manukau District Health Board, Hanna was responsible for the Covid-19 response at procurement company Healthsource.

She had worked in various roles in the public health system, including as an executive project director at Counties Manukau District Health Board and aiding with the Covid-19 vaccine rollout.

"Pauline was larger than life," her younger sister, Tracey, said at her funeral. "She had tenacity and determination, all that good stuff she deeply cared about. Not to disappoint was, I believe, her driving force."

During today's court appearance, Crown prosecutor Brett Tantrum did not oppose bail for Polkingorne but did ask for conditions to be put in place. Most of what is said during such hearings cannot be reported due to rules set out in the Bail Act.