Police have made an arrest in the seven-month-old homicide inquiry into the killing of an Auckland security guard on his first night on the job.

The body of Charanpreet Singh Dhaliwal, 22, was found with serious head injuries early on November 18 at a construction site in Henderson, about 14km west of downtown Auckland.

Police on Tuesday said a 27-year-old Waitakere man had been arrested and charged with Mr Dhaliwal's murder.

Detective Senior Sergeant Stan Brown says the arrest was a result of information from the public and good investigation work. He also acknowledged the support of the Auckland Indian community.

The man was due to appear in Waitakere District Court on Tuesday.

Sikh community spokesman Daljit Singh told NZ Newswire they were told of the arrest on Tuesday.

Mr Singh had relayed the news to Mr Dhaliwal's mother in India, who was very pleased, he said.

She had been planning to come out to New Zealand and would arrive at the weekend.

Mr Dhaliwal was working his first shift as a security guard at the site, which had been a frequent target of scrap metal thieves.