Old human remains found on Napier building site

Old human remains, including a skull, were discovered by workers digging up a fence line in Napier this morning.

The almost completed residential building site on Hastings Street was cordoned off after builders discovered the remains about 11am, Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Emmet Lynch said.

An initial investigation of the scene was completed this afternoon, but it was not known how the remains came to be there or what had happened, Mr Lynch said.

The remains would be investigated by scientific staff tomorrow to get a better idea of age, Mr Lynch said.

"It is not a fresh skeleton, it is aged, we're just not too sure of the age of it,'' he said.

The builders were quite shocked with the find, but called police immediately and cleared the area.

"It's not every day you find that. It was quite an identifiable skull. It certainly wasn't a situation where we had to see what it was, it was quite clear what it was.''

An old villa used to sit on the site until last year when it was removed, and the new build commenced late last year, Mr Lynch said.

The build was in its final stages when the remains were found today.