Body found in search for missing Upper Hutt man Bret Hill

A body found near the Birchville Dam in Upper Hutt was of missing man Bret Hill, police say.

Police were notified about 1.40pm on Sunday that a body had been found.

Formal identification established it was that of Bret Hill, 50, who had last been seen a week earlier.

The body was removed on Sunday afternoon and a scene examination carried out.

The death will be referred to the Coroner.

The search had continued on Friday, with up to 50 people including Land Search and Rescue scanning the Hutt river.

At that stage police said the last sighting was along Hutt River road north of Māoribank duck pond.

His son Trenton Hill told RNZ it was his and his father's birthday on Saturday - the day before he went missing.

Some of his whānau were coming over from Australia within the next week to assist with the search.

Trenton previously told RNZ his dad had just got a new job and had been doing really well for the past three years. He said he had a past of mental health issues, but it had been a long time since he had "an episode".

"It's been three years, nearly four years since the last episode, so this coming out of nowhere, just doesn't make sense."

Police thanked members of the public who helped police and provided information during the search.