The man whose body was found in a vehicle at Kawakawa on Sunday has been named by police.

He was 63-year-old Archibald McKenzie, of Te Tii, Far North.

Emergency services were called to a Station Road carpark near the Caltex petrol station at around 7.45am on Sunday after McKenzie’s body was found inside a vehicle.

Detective Inspector Rhys Johnston said police extended their thoughts to McKenzie’s whānau.

Police initially treated his death as unexplained; however launched a homicide investigation on Monday.

They believed he was the victim of a “violent assault” and revealed a 49-year-old man had been charged with McKenzie’s murder.

The man was due to reappear in High Court at Whangārei on May 2.

Police were seeking sightings of a black Ford Falcon with registration number BYM765 which had since been removed from the scene.

Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.