The body of the man who died in Renton Rd in Mt Albert in the early hours of this morning was removed from the scene at 1pm and will undergo a post-mortem examination tomorrow.
Police and ambulance services were called to an address in the street at about 12.15am after an altercation involving the deceased, an associate of his and others who were also visiting the property. The victim's associate was seriously injured and underwent surgery early this morning. His condition is understood to be stable.
Detective Inspector Chris Cahill says several inquiries have been carried out since the incident.
"We believe we now know who the deceased was and have located and spoken with some members of his family. They are obviously distressed and are being supported by Police and Victim Support.
"We are not able to release the name of the deceased until such time as formal identification can be done which will be sometime tomorrow at the earliest.
"The scene examination of the Renton Rd address and the immediate environment continues, as does the area canvas."
Mr Cahill said it appeared all those involved in the incident were known to each other, reassuring residents in the neighbourhood that the fatal attack and associated activities were confined to one address.
"We are exploring a number of leads and have spoken at length to people linked to the address last night and over the recent past. While there's a lot more work to do we are satisfied witnesses and neighbouring residents are assisting us as best they can.
"We believe some people left the scene of the attack in a vehicle immediately after the incident. Obviously we are following up on that information but are unable to provide further detail at this stage."
Anyone who has information that could assist the homicide investigation should call Avondale CIB on 09 820 5784, Police on 111 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.