UPDATED 4.57PM: The man whose body was found in multiple pieces at a processing plant in Hamilton has been identified, police say. 

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He was 40-year-old Daniel Bindner, last seen a week ago at a fast food restaurant. 

He was a father of three. His children were aged 16, seven, and five. 

Staff at Oji Fibre Solutions made the grisly find on Tuesday. Factory workers first uncovered a leg, and arms and the rest of the body were found among the bales of recycled cardboard, according to sources.

"We believe it was possible that Mr Bindner was picked up in a recycling truck and delivered to Oji Fibre Solutions in Hamilton," said Detective Inspector Hywel Jones.

"However the results at this stage are inconclusive as to the cause of death, and we await further results in the coming weeks to help us pinpoint the cause of his death."

Police said they had not ruled out foul play and that it was an "unexplained death".

The last known sighting of Mr Bindner was at Te Awamutu McDonalds a week earlier, but police say he was not reported missing for six days because he is unemployed and recently estranged from his family.

In the weeks before his body was found in a cardboard bale, Mr Bindner was working on farms in the Te Awamutu region and his relationship had just ended.

Federated Farmers Dairy Industry Group National Chairman Andrew Hoggard said Mr Bindner had been working on dairy farms in the region.

“He had been working on a farm and his marriage had just come to pieces and he had just been made redundant, and then this happened.”

Mr Hoggard did not know the man personally, but said it was a shocking incident.

A blessing was due to take place at the plant late this morning with workers and kaumatua.

Waipa District Councillor for Te Awamutu, Marcus Gower, said the whole community was hurting following Mr Bindner’s death, that came after four people were killed in a horror car crash last week.

“People are concerned with the spate of things happening with the car crash…and now we have this.

“Everyone is feeling a bit down and its affected everybody in Te Awamutu. Everybody is hurting and thinking about the family members and his poor kids that have been left without a father.

“If you talk to anyone they are all going to be touched in some way by it, it’s so sad.”