Police say the body found in the Auckland suburb of Freemans Bay was a baby in a wheelie bin.

Detective Inspector Scott Beard said police discovered the child about 10pm last night on Renall St.

“Sadly, I can confirm the deceased is a newborn baby, and they were discovered in a wheelie bin outside an address,” Beard, of Auckland City CIB, said in a statement.

“A woman is in custody and police are speaking with her to establish the circumstances around what has occurred.”

Police are not seeking anyone else.

“This is a tragedy for everyone concerned and there is a person’s wellbeing to consider here alongside the investigation, so we will ensure the woman gets the support she needs,” Beard said.

“Police acknowledge this will understandably be quite confronting information for the community to grapple with.”

Police blocked off Renall St, off Ponsonby Rd, during initial investigations of the incident. Photo / Carson Bluck

Police cordon off street

Earlier today police cordoned off Renall St, off Ponsonby Rd, during initial investigations into the incident.

It remained in place late this afternoon.

A person has laid a bouquet of pink roses at the cordon.

A resident told the Herald that police were at the property late last night.

A scene guard was standing at the taped-off crossing and several police cars could be seen down the street.

From the cordon, police wearing sterile gloves could be seen entering and exiting a property that itself was wrapped in police tape.

A local cafe worker told the Herald they were instructed by police “not to touch anything” near the street when they arrived to work.

According to staff from another nearby cafe, police said they believed there was no danger to the community.

Police at the scene would not comment on the incident.

Police have confirmed that a baby was found deceased at the scene. Photo / Carson Bluck

Residents allege problems at property

A local who worked at a nearby store told the Herald they had heard a lot of yelling and smashing from the property over the last 18 months.

The worker said she and her other colleagues were often “terrified” of taking the bins out because a man at the property would yell at her.

She told the Herald she had seen the man at the property dressed as a clown who would stand behind a frosted front window.

Another worker nearby told the Herald that he “always heard a ruckus” at the property.“They were always cars being smashed out the front.”

Another person who used to live on Renall St who was at the scene said there had been serious problems in the past with the residents of the house which had been cordoned off.

“Last week they smashed up some cars on the road,” she alleged.

Another resident of the street also said there had been disruption and issues caused by the residents at that property.

“We don’t know what’s happened, but this isn’t surprising,” they said.

Locals on the way to work this morning have been anxiously peering over the cordon asking police what’s happened.

Post-mortem taking place

A post-mortem was taking place today to determine the next steps in the homicide investigation, Baird said.

“The result is not yet known, and police will provide further updates as the investigation allows. We would ask the public to avoid speculation given what has occurred and allow investigators to carry out their work.”

Police would be canvassing the area as part of the investigation, and seeking CCTV from residents in Renall St.

“We will ... also [be] searching other wheelie bins in order to secure any additional evidence that may be relevant to the investigation.”

Anyone with information that could help the investigation should report it via 105, using the file number 250630/9878 and quoting ‘Operation Yarrow’.

“Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111 or crimestoppers-nz.org."

This comes after a baby girl was found dead at an Auckland recycling facility in 2021.

The mother of the baby, found among recycling at the Onehunga plant, was never found despite police inquiries.

“This baby girl is laying in a mortuary with no name and no one to give her the funeral she deserves so she can be laid to rest,” Beard previously said.

Another dead baby was found in a rubbish bin at Auckland’s Middlemore Hospital in 2021.

At the time, a source told the Herald the infant was found in a toilet rubbish bin.

It is understood that the mother had been taken to the hospital by family members shortly before the baby was born.

Police charged a woman in relation to this discovery. She pleaded guilty to concealing the dead body of a child.