Two new Cook Strait ferries planned by the end of 2029 and Chris Hipkins criticises Winston Peters over his attitude to diversity. Video / NZ Herald, Getty Images
Detective Inspector Haley Ryan confirmed there is no ongoing risk to the public.
A neighbour said a woman lived there with two boarders, a British couple he described as “super lovely people”.
A man living next to a Wellington home where two people were found dead overnight has spoken of his “super lovely” neighbours and his shock at what has happened.
Police said this morning the bodies were discovered in a home in Roseneath after a concerned family member asked officers to do a welfare check. The relative had not heard from their loved ones and requested police check on them about 10pm yesterday.
Detective Inspector Haley Ryan said when the officers arrived they found the two people dead.
Police remain at the scene on Palliser Rd this afternoon, but have assured locals there is no ongoing risk to the public.
Neighbour Paul Prestidge said he met the occupants of the home a few months ago when he moved in, and the homeowner invited him and his wife over for dinner.
The woman had owned the home for about 40 years and had two boarders, a British couple that Prestidge believed were in their late 30s or early 40s.
Police can be seen at a home on Palliser Rd in the Wellington suburb of Roseneath. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
The group had shared a welcome dinner and would see each other on the properties’ shared walkway from time to time.
He said the couple were “very friendly people” giving an example of how they’d met a man on a flight and struck up a friendship to the point they invited him over for dinner.
They also had a son who did not live with them, he noted.
He believed the woman was a teacher. He said they were “super lovely people”.
Prestidge said he wasn’t aware anything was wrong until police knocked on his door shortly after midnight.
“I almost didn’t answer it, I’ve never had that happen before.”
Police found the bodies overnight. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Police asked him whether he or his wife had seen the occupants recently.
He said he remembered seeing them the weekend before last but did not recall seeing them since then.
He does not know any details about what had happened and briefly questioned whether he should be worried, but said “the police have been really friendly and organised so I’m sure they have it in hand.”
The home is found in one of the capital’s most expensive suburbs, surrounded by trees and perched high above the city’s harbour. The area is known for its million-dollar sea views and lofty house prices.
Police cars can be seen parked outside the home where the bodies were found. Photo / Melissa Nightingale
Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.
