Convicted double murderer David Tamihere has pleaded not guilty to a charge of breaching his parole conditions.
Tamihere, 58, appeared in the Waitakere District Court on Tuesday and said he would defend the charges.
He was released in late 2010 after serving a jail sentence for killing Swedish backpackers Heidi Paakkonen and Urban Hoglin in 1989.
As part of a television documentary, TVNZ flew Tamihere over the Coromondel Peninsula.
Parole conditions prohibit him from entering the Coromandel Peninsula where the pair were killed.
Tamihere was supported in court by his partner of 40 years, Kristine Tamihere, and his parole officer.
His lawyer, Murray Gibson, entered a not guilty plea on his behalf and asked for a status hearing in May.
The Parole Board will meet in April to decide whether to send him back to jail.
The outcome of this will determine whether Tamihere keeps his plea, or switches it at his next court appearance. He will remain on bail until then.
