Police have charged an Auckland man with murder in relation to the 2003 disappearance of a woman in the Hauraki Plains.
Sara Niethe was reported missing after she failed to return to her Kerepehi home, just south of Thames, after visiting a male acquaintance in Kaihere in March 2003.
Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Whitehead says the case was reviewed in 2010 and an investigation relaunched.
Mr Whitehead says a 49-year-old man will appear in the North Shore District Court on Wednesday on a charge of murder.
He says no matter how long a case may remain unresolved it is never closed and the arrest is testament to staff's dedication.
