A father has pleaded not guilty to attempting to murder his son – who has been left with 70 per cent burns on his body.

Ihau​ Nigel Tawhiti​, 61, appeared via audio visual link at the High Court in Tauranga on Wednesday.

He faces one charge; that on March 14 this year at Waihi Beach, he attempted to murder his son Leroy Tawhiti.

Tawhiti's lawyer Kerry Tustin​ cited the White Island/Whakaari eruption burns victims when Justice Graham Lange was seeking to set a trial date for Tawhiti.

'Situations can change quickly when it comes to burns victims,” she said.

Tustin said Leroy, 28, had burns on 70 per cent of his body.

Lange described the case as requiring 'clearly a jury in any event” and set an initial trial date of December 6, 2021.

He also described the case as 'relatively straight forward, based on the summary of facts”.

Tawhiti was remanded in custody ahead of a case review scheduled for June 16, 2021.

-Stuff/Benn Bathgate.