Police have confirmed the bones found at a property in Mt Eden are human after two days of enquiries.
A forensic pathologist confirmed the news on Monday afternoon.
"Police are taking great care in removing the remains and the immediate focus is to identify the deceased," said Acting Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin.
The death is being treated as unexplained and police are seeking assistance to find the previous residents of the house.
It's thought the house served as a boarding home at one point.
"We would like to hear from anyone who previously resided at 3 Marlborough Street, Mt Eden, or anyone who can help us get in touch with those people," said Baldwin on Monday.
Police were originally called to the address on Friday afternoon after a digger working in the garden uncovered the remains.
Police are still at the scene and will continue to examine the scene over the next few days.
"The nature of the scene and the fact the remains may have been in place for some years make this a challenging investigation."
