Police will review their response after officers checking on a burned out car in Havelock North failed to realise there was a dead body inside it.
A caller told police about the destroyed car at Havelock North's River Road Recreational Reserve about 10am on Saturday 3 September.
Police Eastern District Commander Jeanette Park today said the caller had reported what they thought was the body of an animal on the floor in the back of the car.
After that officers had visited the car, but the body was not discovered until Monday 5 September.
"The condition of the vehicle and debris from the fire meant staff did not immediately identify the human remains," Park said.
She said the investigation was well under way, and it would include a review of the initial response by police.
It was too early to speculate on who the person who died was, or how they had died, she said.
Results from a post-mortem were expected to take about two days.
Linda Jacobson and her daughter Melissa told RNZ they often walked in the reserve and saw the car there on Saturday.
It was very badly burned, with no glass left in the windows, and they had not wanted to go too close, afraid of what they might see.
"There was a sticker on the boot that said police had been down so don't report it again, they're aware of it," Melissa said.
Nothing had changed when they went back to the reserve on Sunday, but when they were there on Monday police told them the carpark was now a crime scene and they had to leave, she said.
Commander Park said officers were looking at CCTV footage from the area.
A scene examination was finished today, and River Road had been reopened to traffic.
"Our priority at the moment, is to identify this person, and to let their family know. This will obviously be devastating news for them and that is our focus," she said.
RNZ
