The pair appeared via audio-video link in the Auckland High Court. (file image) Photo: RNZ / Simon Rogers
The pair accused of the murder of a man on Auckland's North Shore have pleaded not guilty.
Joshuah Tasi, 28, was fatally stabbed in the suburb of Beach Haven earlier this month.
The accused duo, aged 14 and 17, appeared via audio-video link in the Auckland High Court.
Those closest to them were in the public gallery.
The teenagers had previously appeared in the Youth Court. They remain in custody at a youth offender residence.
Name suppression for the pair will continue until a suppression hearing in April.
Entering the not guilty pleas, barrister Marie Taylor-Cyphers outlined the need for communication aids for both boys.
Justice Timothy Brewer corrected Taylor-Cyphers, saying 'youths' was a more appropriate way of referring to them.
The judge set a trial for May next year.
