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'Possibly pre-European': Centuries old remains in Wellington garden

By 1News Reporters

3:08pm

(Source: 1News)

Human remains found in a Wellington homeowner's garden have been determined to be centuries old, police say.

A resident of Ōwhiro Bay found the remains on June 22, 2025.

Police detective Constable Sarah Steed said radiocarbon dating showed the remains to be from the 1600s or 1700s, and "possibly pre-European".

“This information will now be supplied to the Coroner for consideration,” said Steed.

Consultation with local iwi would take place to arrange a suitable burial site, once the remains had been released by the Coroner, she added.

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