Police have launched a homicide investigation following the discovery of a woman's body in a burnt-out vehicle in Havelock North.
Detective Inspector David De Lange said post-mortem results have led to this decision and police were determined to establish what had happened to the victim and hold the person or persons responsible for her death to account.
He said the woman remains unidentified and formal identification procedures remain ongoing and are taking longer than usual due to the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Police have established that the burnt-out vehicle was a mid-90s dark grey Toyota Corona and believe it was taken to River Rd between 10pm Friday (September 2) and 7am Saturday (September 3).
"We are now appealing to anyone who may gone down to the River Rd carpark between those times who saw the vehicle or any people in the area.