Murder charge over missing British woman in NZ

New Zealand police say a 26-year-old man will be charged with the murder of British backpacker Grace Millane who went missing from an Auckland hostel.

Grace Millane was last seen December 1 in central Auckland. Source: AAP

A man will be charged with the murder of British backpacker Grace Millane in New Zealand.

The 26-year-old man has been speaking with police in Auckland in relation to her disappearance, officers said.

Millane, 22, went missing from a hostel in Auckland on December 1.

CCTV image from December 1 shows the last known sighting of Grace Millane whose 22nd birthday was the next day. Source: AAP

New Zealand Police said the man will remain in custody until Monday morning, when he will appear in the Auckland District Court.

Millane, from Essex, was described as a "lovely, outgoing, fun-loving, family-orientated daughter" by her father, David Millane.

She graduated from the University of Lincoln in September and had embarked on a year-long worldwide trip.

After visiting Peru, she arrived in New Zealand on November 20 and had been in near-daily contact with her family until December 1 - the day before her 22nd birthday.

The last confirmed sighting of Millane was at 9.41pm the same day at the Citylife Hotel in central Auckland, when she was seen with a "male companion".