Baby's death sparks homicide probe in Kaitaia

A homicide inquiry is underway after the death of a baby girl in Kaitaia eralier this week.

The death of a baby girl who the police say did not die of accidental injuries has sparked a homicide investigation in Kaitaia.

Acting Detective Inspector Lloyd Schmid, from Northland CIB, said police attended an incident at a house on Tuesday and the infant was found dead.

A post-mortem and other information the police have gathered indicate the baby died of ''non-accidental injuries',' Schmid said.

"Police will thoroughly investigate the matter and use resources from across the Northland district to ensure we have a thorough understanding of the circumstances surrounding the incident.''

Inquiries are ongoing and a scene examination is still being carried out.

"At this point it is early days in the investigation, however police have been speaking with a number of people as part of our enquiries."

It is the second death of a child due to non-accidental injuries in Northland in six months.

In August last year a 2-year-old died at a property in Mangawhai, resulting in a homicide investigation and charges being laid against a 30-year-old man.

The man, the victim and the child's mother were granted name suppression, along with any information that could identify them.

On average, a child in New Zealand is killed every five weeks, putting the country high on list of world's worst offenders, according to 2016 report.

Sixty-one children died as a result of non-accidental injuries in New Zealand between 2006 and 2016.

A New Zealand Police Homicide Victims Report 2017, released late last year, showed 686 people were killed by homicide in New Zealand over that period, with children under the age of 5 making up 12 per cent of the victims.

Anyone with information regarding the death of the baby in Kaitaia is asked to contact Kaitaia Police on (09) 408 6500 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.