Waikato Police have launched a homicide inquiry after a baby boy died following "violent, blunt-force trauma".
The 10-month-old was brought unconscious to Te Kuiti Hospital on Saturday afternoon, but was unable to be resuscitated.
Staff alerted police, who say an initial examination showed the baby boy suffered traumatic injuries.
In a statement on Sunday, Detective Inspector Graham Pitkethley said police believe "these injuries were not accidental".
"The full extent of his injuries will be determined by a post-mortem, but the result will not be known for some time," he said.
"The investigation is in its early stages and there is a lot of work ahead of us as we gather information."
Police have been speaking to family members, including his parents, as they establish how he came to be so badly injured.
Police will be conducting a scene examination at a Te Kuiti address, which has been under Police guard since Saturday afternoon.
"The death of any child is a shock to the community, and we know many in Te Kuiti will be affected by this," Det Insp Pitkethley said.
"The public can help by talking with us; we need to hear from anyone who has information that could help the investigation."
Please contact Police via 105 and reference the file number 240608/8263.
