Neighbours have described their shock and sadness at the death of a woman at a property in rural Canterbury.
Homicide detectives are investigating after emergency services discovered the woman's body at the house in Burnham School Road in Burnham early on Tuesday morning.
Police arrested a person after a report of disorder at about 3.05am.
RNZ understands a 19-year-old will appear at the Christchurch District Court on Tuesday afternoon in relation to the homicide.
The property is on a long rural road surrounded by farmland.
Neighbours told RNZ it was usually a quiet district and they did not hear anything overnight.
One woman, who did not wish to be named, said the death was "incredibly sad".
"It's actually a really lovely road to live on, neighbours all wave out to eachother and I never heard a thing so it's a real shock," she said.
"There are properties scattered around this road and a busy preschool down the road."
Another neighbour said she woke up early to flashing police lights but did not hear anything unusual.
One man believed a family lived at the property. He said he had met them a couple of times over the years and they were pleasant.
He found out about the death after checking the news on Tuesday morning.
A blue police tent has been set up and the property has been cordoned off as forensic officers examine the scene.
Police said the arrested person was assisting with their inquiries.
