The 50-year-old man charged with the 2016 murder of Brian Hilton can be named as Harry Clements Matchitt.

Matchitt appeared at the Whakatāne District Court on Wednesday where he was remanded without plea ahead of appearing at the High Court in Tauranga on February 5, 2019.

Hilton was admitted to Tauranga Hospital on July 7, 2016 with facial injuries, from what was believed at the time to be a fall in his home.

He died six days later.

Police recently received new information and as a result reopened the investigation into Hilton's death.

His duty lawyer initially sought interim name suppression saying Matchitt had not had "time to discuss with his whanau before it appears in the paper".

Judge Louis Bidios, however, declined.

He also revealed Police had Matchitt as a suspect for the killing "for some time".

-Stuff/Ben Bathgate