The 69-year-old man charged with the murder of Remuera woman Pauline Hanna has appeared in court.

Wearing a black leather jacket, jeans and a mask, the man charged with Hanna's death made a brief appearance before Judge Andrea Manuel in Auckland District Court today.

He intends to plead not guilty to murder during a hearing later this afternoon, said defence counsel Rachael Reed, QC.

Hanna died in her home in the Auckland suburb of Remuera on Easter Monday last year.

A close friend of Hanna said: "Thank god... we never thought this day would happen. Hopefully Pauline gets some justice."

Another friend said: "I am relieved, Pauline was such a special lady whose life ended far too soon. I feel so sad, today is a huge event. My absolute thanks and admiration to the police for their ongoing work to get this far."

Pauline Hanna was described as elegant, driven and unflappable by friends and co-workers after her death. Photo / File

Her brother Bruce had told the Herald it was hard to believe the 63-year-old had gone.

"Even though 12 months have passed, it is still very raw for me and my family. We still have no answers and no closure," he said in March this year.

Hanna had worked at Counties Manukau District Health Board as an executive project director and was involved in the Covid-19 vaccine rollout.

"Today, a 69-year-old male has been arrested and charged with murder," said Detective Inspector Aaron Pascoe in a brief update on the long-running Operation Kian.

"As this matter is now before the Court, Police have no further comment at this time."

Since her body was found police had consistently described her death as "unexplained" - until today's murder charge.

Over the past two decades, Hanna worked in various roles in the public health system.

Richard Aldous, the chief financial officer and joint interim CEO, at HealthSource, where Hanna was a senior executive at the procurement company, has said: "Pauline was a valued member of the HealthSource team and continues to be missed by all of us. Our condolences go out to her family at this difficult time."

In the days after Hanna's death, tributes from family, friends and colleagues emphasised the importance of her professional life in her perception of herself. They portrayed her as elegant, driven and unflappable.

At Hanna's funeral, her younger sister, Tracey, said: "Can you imagine what it was like growing up in the shadow of such an impressive big sister?"

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