Unexplained death at Auckland school

Police are waiting for a post mortem examination tomorrow morning to assess whether foul play was involved in the death of a man found with injuries in the grounds of an Auckland primary school today.

The body of the man, who police said was Maori and appeared to be in aged in his late 40s, was found in the grounds of St Mary's Catholic School in Great North Rd, Avondale, at about 11am.

Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Newman told the Herald this afternoon that police were treating the death as suspicious, given where it was found.

But after several hours directing a scene examination before the body was due to be moved this evening, he told reporters the police were treating the death simply as unexplained until pathologists could examine it at Auckland City Hospital this morning.

"It will be better when we know the cause of death as to where we go from here," Mr Newman said.

He confirmed that police had found injuries on the body, but would not comment on their nature.

The police had also established a possible identity, but had yet to confirm that.

Word of the discovery filtered back to some congregation members of St Mary's Church, which is on the school grounds, towards the end of the second of two Easter Sunday masses.

School caretaker Maka Halatoa said the body was found by parishioner - who is also a cleaner on the property - as she was walking home from an earlier mass.

The woman called St John ambulance and rushed back to the church to fetch Mr Halatoa.
Ambulance staff called the police.

The man was lying on the grass on his back with his arms spread out, Mr Halatoa said.
"I thought he must have had a heart attack - he was just lying there peacefully."

The man's bag was on a seat next to the body and a disposable razor was on the ground.
However, there was no sign of blood or any injuries.

The man looked Maori and was wearing shorts and a singlet, he said.

He was tall and "strong" looking and did not appear to have been sleeping rough, Mr Halatoa said.

Mr Halatoa said kids sometimes gathered at night in the school grounds, which he believed needed to be gated, but no serious crime had been committed there in his 15 years as caretaker.

About 200 pupils attended the school.

Father Mathew Vadakkevettuvazhiyil, one of the churches two priests, said he was sad for the dead man and his family, and was shocked the death had occurred on Easter Sunday.

The church's priest and the school's principal are away this afternoon, but a man believed to be an administrator on the property, who did not want to be named, said word of the discovery was kept from most of the congregation.

"We didn't want to panic everyone," said the man, adding that the discovery was particularly shocking, coming on Easter Sunday.

A neighbour of the school said she heard two or three men talking - and possibly arguing - in the street outside her home in the early hours of this morning.

"The sounded as though they were arguing, but not really arguing," said the woman.

Nine police cars were at one stage are at the school, which is cordoned off with police tape.

Forensic investigators in white overalls have also arrived to examine the scene.