The human remains found in the central North Island last week belong to a person who went missing in 2017, police believe.
The deceased is thought to be a Chinese man aged in his early 30s and, upon carrying out a post-mortem, police have declared the death suspicious.
They are yet to formally identify the body however, and due to the nature of the remains they warn this process could take a long time to complete.
"Police won't be commenting on the deceased's identity until this is confirmed," they told Newshub.
The grisly discovery was made by officers carrying out a search at Rangipo Intake Rd, just off Desert Rd, last Tuesday.
Police say they are carrying out a number of enquiries.
The deceased is yet to be formally identified.
