A prominent South Island man is accused of indecently assaulting six girls across of a period of more than 20 years.

The man was granted name suppression this week by a judge without media being given the opportunity to challenge the order first. He was due to appear in court today, however, the hearing was rescheduled at the last minute, and he is now set to appear before a judge on August 2.

Court documents show the man is accused of 16 charges of indecent assault involving six female complainants who were aged between 9 and 17 at the time of the alleged offending. He is not related to any of the complainants, the court documents allege.

The alleged offending took place between 1998 and 2021. The man was remanded on bail until his next appearance.

- Sam Sherwood and Carolyne Meng-Yee, NZH