KEY POINTS:
Police say they are confident they know the identity of the woman found dead at a central Auckland apartment building yesterday.
Police launched a homicide inquiry after being called to the apartment in Winchester St by ambulance services shortly before 4pm.
A post-mortem examination of the 30-year-old woman is under way, but police said it was not expected to be completed today.
In a statement, they said investigators were trying to inform her family, who were overseas.
A man in his 20s who called police to the apartments is expected to remain under police guard at the hospital for several days, as he is treated for a serious injury to his hand.
Police said they were looking into his relationship to the dead woman as well as her background.
Police have found the man's vehicle, which will be forensically examined.
It is understood police are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.
Forensic investigators are conducting a full scene examination of the apartment, where the woman lived with two other people.
The five-storey building in Newton, near Karangahape Rd, has been cordoned off and forensic investigators were today at the scene.
Last night, an officer was asking residents for identification before they were allowed in or out of the apartments.
Residents Chris Young and Rachel Vadigno said they were not allowed to leave the building from the time police arrived until about 6.30pm. "Our flatmate couldn't go to work."
Mr Young said they had not seen or heard anything of the attack, which is believed to have taken place on the top floor.
"The first we knew of it we got a call to say the police were outside."
Niraj Raval, a neighbour, said he had to wait until about 6 or 6.30pm before being allowed home after work.
"When we came it was cordoned off and there was police everywhere. He [the policeman] said: 'There's a crime scene."'
Mr Raval said the incident looked to have happened in the fifth - the top - floor of the building. He said everything was normal at the beginning of the day.
"It was quite calm in the morning, it was fine - until we came home to find this."