Christchurch police have launched a homicide investigation after a body was found late tonight on the Avon River bank near Ferry Rd in the suburb of Woolston.
Detective Inspector Darryl Sweeney said officers were speaking to "a person of interest" and wanted to ensure the public that there was no danger to any other members of the community.
An area of the riverbank was cordoned off while a scene examination was undertaken.
Ferry Rd between Richardson Tce and Hargood St would remain closed to all traffic for several hours.
The road was expected to re-open before 6am.
Earlier, social media users posted of seeing "multiple police units" at the scene, and there were reports of CPR being performed.
Ron Van Der Lem spoke to the Herald from outside the police cordon.
"I saw police cars coming from every direction, driving really fast," he said. "There's quite a few people gathered outside the cordon. Everyone's wondering what the heck is going on."
