A British couple have been found dead in a home in New Zealand after a concerned family member contacted the police.
According to local reports, the pair had moved across the world late last year and were found by officers responding to a welfare check in Roseneath, a beach-side suburb of capital city Wellington.
Detective Inspector Hayley Ryan said officers were not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident, while the British couple have not yet been named.
“Based on the results of a scene examination and other inquiries, we will be referring the case to the coroner,” Ryan said.
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“Post-mortems were completed today, and police will continue to have a presence in the area as we work to understand the reasoning behind this tragic incident.”
The detective confirmed officers had forced their way into the Roseneath home after they were contacted by a concerned family member.
The couple’s landlord referred to the pair as ‘my British lodgers’.
“Both they and their family lived life to the absolute full and were always planning or doing amazing adventures,” the owner said in a statement shared with the New Zealand Herald.
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“They were both such positive and incredible parents, friends, and members of many communities.”
A neighbour, Emma Prestidge, added to Radio New Zealand that the pair had moved to the area from London.
“My understanding is they’d finally… packed up their lives in London and all their stuff was in a shipping container, and they were kind of looking to move here for good,” she explained.
“They were… in the next phase of their life, I guess, and ready to kind of set themselves up for the next part of their chapter, which is… truly sad.”
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Ryan urged anyone with information to contact police.
“We would like to hear from anyone who may have information that can help our inquiries,” issued the Detective Inspector.
“Anyone with residential CCTV that captures traffic movements in the Roseneath area, particularly on Palliser Road and surrounding streets, is asked to contact us.”
A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said in a statement to LADbible: "We have not been approached for consular assistance in this case, but our staff stand ready to support British Nationals overseas 24/7."
LADbible has contacted the New Zealand Coroner's Office for comment.
Jess Battison