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Police are refusing to reveal how a man in their custody died, but the death is understood to be not suspicious.
Two investigations began yesterday into the death of the man in a Rotorua police cellblock on Monday night.
His name and other details were not available last night.
The Herald has been told the death was a suicide, but police would not confirm this.
Police were working withthe man's family and would not release information until further consultation with the next of kin.
"They've obviously had a very tragic event and we're trying to support them through that," Rotorua area commander Inspector Bruce Horne said.
He said police had three priorities - to conduct a thorough investigation into the death, to comply with statutory obligations to report the incident to the Independent Police Conduct Authority, and to support the family.
"We need to give them some time and space and that's what we're endeavouring to do," Mr Horne said.
The man was found dead in the cellblock at 8.45pm after being arrested and charged with assault with intent to injure as a result of a family violence incident.
Mr Horne said police were called to the incident in Rotorua at 5.15pm. Determining the timing of subsequent events was part of the investigation, he said, but would not disclose where the domestic incident occurred.
Another inquiry was started by the Independent Police Conduct Authority, which was notified of the death yesterday.
A spokesman said authority head Justice Lowell Goddard and an investigator, who were on routine visits to police stations in the district, had visited the scene and spoken to officers at Rotorua.
