Victim's body left at scene

A man was taken to Dunedin Hospital. Photo / Otago Daily Times

The body of a woman shot dead on her driveway was left there for more than 24 hours while police awaited the arrival of crime scene investigators.

Her 66-year-old partner was rushed to Dunedin Hospital's intensive care unit with gunshot wounds after the Friday evening tragedy.

Police are treating the killing as a homicide and said they had not ruled out the possibility of a murder-suicide attempt.

Detective Sergeant Derek Shaw said the 60-year-old woman's body was not removed as it was critical to the crime scene examination in the Central Otago town of Roxburgh.

"The specialist scene examination team had to come from Auckland, so it was best to leave the scene untouched," said Shaw.

Shaw said many witnesses had come forward and police hoped to talked to them all. "We have approximately 20 people to speak to. We're constantly evaluating the information."

Residents told Herald on Sunday the couple had been living in Roxburgh for "a very long time". "It's shocking when you know the people," a worker at Robbs Garage said.

People also expressed their grief on Twitter. "It's so sad, she was the best lady in the world," one woman tweeted.

Shaw said they removed the body late yesterday afternoon. Police have not released the couple's names.