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A 37-year-old man has made a brief appearance at the Nelson District Court charged with assaulting his seven-year-old stepson, who later died.
The man - originally from the Cook Islands - was granted name suppression. His lawyer, Mark Dollimore, said the assault charge against his client was technically a holding charge ahead of more serious charges being laid.
He sought suppression so that he could contact the man's relatives and to obtain files related to the man from health authorities.
The man, dressed in a white prison vest, showed no emotion during the one-minute appearance.
He entered no plea and has been remanded in custody until July 15.
Police started a homicide inquiry after being alerted to the boy's death at his Stoke home by ambulance staff about 11.40am.
Tasman police district crime services manager Detective Inspector John Winter this morning told Radio New Zealand a police car was the first to reach the house.
"Two police staff beat the ambulance to the scene and tried valiantly to resuscitate the child, but unfortunately to no avail."
It is the second suspected child abuse case this week.
A 3-year-old Avondale boy was still fighting for his life in the Starship hospital yesterday after being admitted on Monday.
Police were tight-lipped on details of the Nelson inquiry but the Herald has learned it is a suspected child bashing.
Mr Winter said it was inappropriate to comment on how the boy might have died until a post-mortem examination had been conducted today.
He said he had advised the coroner the death was "being treated as suspected homicide" and had listed reasons for that.
Mr Winter was not divulging his reasons, nor would he say if the boy had injuries.
A 37-year-old Nelson labourer, believed to be the boy's stepfather and originally from South Auckland, is to appear in court this morning on an assault charge.
Mr Winter said the family had no links to Nelson so the investigation would be focused on South Auckland.
"We've got a trail of inquiries that will take us up there and also involving other government agencies and NGOs that might have had dealings with the family."
Inquiries are continuing in relation to the case, and little more is expected to be known until after the autopsy.
Mr Winter said Child, Youth and Family was not involved. The boy had no siblings and there were no other care and protection issues.
"The parents of the deceased are assisting police with their inquiries and no one else is being sought at this stage."
A full scene investigation was to begin at the family's Housing New Zealand property in Fergusson St, Stoke, today.
The mother spent last night in the care of Women's Refuge and police may speak with her again today.
Institute of Environmental Science and Research specialists were being called in from Christchurch.
A neighbour, Jeanne Munro, said she was shocked to arrive home after work to find a police cordon.
Mrs Munro said she remembered the family moving into the community flats behind her home in January and had seen the boy playing in the street with the neighbourhood children.
"They're a really quiet family. They kept to themselves."
Mrs Munro, a schoolteacher, said the death would shock local schools and the small, close-knit Stoke community.
"It's so sad, it really is. I've got kids too, and they were a bit petrified as well."
Fergusson St was usually "very quiet", and many pensioners lived in the area, she said.
Nelson-Marlborough St John district operations manager Barry Howell told the Herald ambulance staff alerted police to the inquiry when they were called at 11.40am yesterday.
"Our communications centre contacted the police based on the information that they received at the time of the call," Mr Howell said.
"They advised police that there was a young child in a collapsed state who was unresponsive.
"When the ambulance crews arrived, the police arrived at the same time and ambulance and police tried to resuscitate the child for about 30 minutes but were unable to revive him."
In Auckland, inquiries are continuing into how the Avondale boy received head injuries, several fractures to his pelvis and internal bleeding. He is in a drug-induced coma.
The toddler, who has five siblings, was allegedly in the care of his family when the injuries occurred.
His siblings have since been placed into a "safe and secure" environment by Child, Youth and Family, and his parents have been banned from visiting him in hospital.
Auckland City police spokeswoman Noreen Hegarty said the boy's family had spoken to officers and would be interviewed further as the investigation progressed.
- With NZPA
