A teenager has appeared in court charged with the murder of a New Zealand hospitality worker in Cairns.

Philip Quayle, 27, was found dead on a footpath 100 metres from his central city home in the early hours of Thursday.

Police allege he was murdered as he was walking home after a night out with friends.

Jake Desmond Livingstone, 19, appeared briefly in the Cairns Magistrates Court on Monday.

He was remanded in custody and had his case adjourned until March 25.

Mr Quayle, a New Zealand citizen, grew up in the South Island city of Nelson but had lived with his brother in Cairns for several years.

A second man, 21, is due to face court later this month on charges of being an accessory after the fact of murder.