That was 13 years ago. The New Zealand man has not been seen or heard from since that day.

After years of not knowing what happened to their loved one, Mr Payne's family are hoping a member of the public can shed some light on what happened after he left his aunt's house in Matraville in January 2001.

Mr Payne was 37 when he disappeared and, if he is still alive, would have turned 50 this year.

"Mr Payne's family in his native New Zealand are at a loss to explain his disappearance," said Detective Inspector Stacey Maloney, crime manager at the Eastern Beaches Local Area Command.

"It has been over 13 years and that is a long time to worry about a loved one. They just want to know where he is."

Police have not been able to identify the man who was with Mr Payne when he left his aunt's home, or whether that man can provide any clues about Mr Payne's disappearance.

One report made to Crime Stoppers suggested that Mr Payne may have been living in Perth in Western Australia.

But Detective Inspector Maloney said that line of inquiry had been ''exhausted.''

"Inquiries with other agencies have yielded no information as to Mr Payne's whereabouts or his activities,'' Detective Inspector Maloney said.

Mr Payne is described as being of Pacific Islander/Maori appearance, about 181 centimetres tall with a large build, short dark brown hair and brown eyes.

Police have urged anyone with information about Mr Payne's disappearance to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page.