Wellington  - A man arrested in New Zealand after nearly 40 hours on the run had the body of his brother in his crashed car, police said on Wednesday.

David John Bourke, 46, a labourer from Wanganui, appeared in court charged with using a firearm against a police officer, assault with a weapon and failing to stop.

Police, who had described him earlier as murder suspect, said further charges were likely and he was remanded in custody until October 21, news reports said.

A police statement said that the body of his brother, Timothy Barry Bourke, 49, had been found covered by a blanket on the back seat of the defendant's car. He had been shot dead.

The New Zealand Herald quoted a long-time family friend, who asked not to be named, as saying that David Bourke had spent his whole life looking after his brother who did not work.

Another report in the Dominion Post quoted a friend as saying the two brothers lived at home with their parents and had both taken it badly when their mother died recently after suffering Alzheimer's disease for 10 years. (dpa)