An 11-year-old boy and his mother are confirmed dead after a house fire in Manapouri, Southland on Thursday.
Police said a specialist search team found the bodies in the View Street property after a "methodical investigation".
Emergency services were called to the property at about 3:40am and alerted that people may still be inside. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
"Our hearts go out to the family. Events like this are tragic, and we are ensuring there is appropriate support in place for those affected by this terrible event," a police spokesperson said.
Neighbour Allan Biggs told RNZ on Thursday a few neighbours gathered on the street after hearing the emergency response.
"With the siren going off, eventually curiosity got the better of me and I got up and [was] just surprised to see the house well alight across the road," Biggs said.
"We do get the odd callout of a fire engine in the middle of the night but it's usually a traffic accident or something like that, nothing like this before."
