Police in Auckland believe some people took off from the scene straight after a fatal stabbing today.
The body of the man who was killed has now been removed from Renton Road in Mt Albert, and it will undergo a post mortem tomorrow.
Police at the scene of the fatal stabbing on Renton Road in Mt Albert Photo: RNZ / Diego Opatowski
Detective Inspector Chris Cahill said another man was in a stable condition in hospital after having surgery early this morning.
"We believe we now know who the deceased was and have located and spoken with some members of his family.
Mr Cahill said his family was obviously distressed and being supported by police and victim support.
"We are not able to release the name of the deceased until such time as formal identification can be done which will be sometime tomorrow at the earliest.
"The scene examination of the Renton Rd address and the immediate environment continues, as does the area canvas," he said.
Police said the altercation about 12.15am involved the man who died, his associate and others who were visiting the property.
Officers said it appeared everyone who was involved knew each other and this should reassure nearby residents just one address was involved.
"We are exploring a number of leads and have spoken at length to people linked to the address last night and over the recent past," Mr Cahill said.
He said it was thought a number of people left the scene of the attack in a vehicle straight after the altercation.
"Obviously we are following up on that information but are unable to provide further details at this stage," he said.