A 28-year-old man has appeared in court this morning charged with murder after yesterday's Christchurch mosque shootings.

Brenton Harrison Tarrant, whose address was given as Andersons Bay in Dunedin, made an appearance from custody at Christchurch District Court.

He appeared in white prison clothing, with manacled hands, and barefoot. He smirked when media photographed him in the dock, flanked by two police officers, reports nzherald.co.nz.

Tarrant is accused of murdering a man, whose name was suppressed by Judge Paul Kellar on grounds of undue hardship to his family, in Christchurch yesterday.

Tarrant was remanded in custody without plea to the High Court in Christchurch on April 5.

Duty lawyer Richard Peters said no application for bail would be made. No application for name suppression was made.

However, while Judge Kellar granted in court photographs and filming, he ordered that his face be pixelated to preserve any fair trial rights.

No occupation for Tarrant was listed on the charging document. The courtroom was closed to the public. Three approved New Zealand media outlets were granted in-court applications to film and take photographs.

They were escorted into court by security staff. The judge briefed media before the hearing.

There was a massive media presence outside court this morning, including many international news outlets. Only accredited media were allowed in court today.

There were armed police in court this morning. Tarrant had a cut on his upper lip. He was silent throughout. He looked at media in the public gallery.