Police say the man found dead by relatives in a temporary squat in Balmoral on Monday, March 24, died a violent death.

Police have identified him as 49-year-old Maqbool Hussain who is originally from Pakistan but has lived in New Zealand since 1992.

Police are running a homicide investigation on the basis of information gleaned from the post-mortem and scene examinations completed early this afternoon.

According to police, Mr Hussain had been living in the partially enclosed garage storage area of a former green grocery at 660 Dominion Rd for about a year and was known to frequent local businesses along the road.

Officer in charge of the homicide investigation Detective Inspector Chris Cahill says Mr Hussain had been fatally assaulted sometime between 6.30pm on Saturday, March 22 and midday on Monday, March 24.

"We have spoken to people who saw Mr Hussain alive in the early evening of Saturday the 22nd and we're obviously very interested in hearing from anyone who has information about who he might have had interactions with recently.

"Mr Hussain is survived by an estranged wife and daughter who live overseas but had regular contact with relatives and acquaintances in the Balmoral neighbourhood.

"While he had hit hard times and lived in what some would call rough circumstances, our inquiries to date lead us to believe his lifestyle was comparatively routine and his living area was organised and clean.

"Our focus right now is on the victim's family and trying to narrow down the time Mr Hussain was killed and, of course, identifying who killed him."

Police are continuing with the area inquiries along Halston St and Dominion Rd today and urge anyone with information to contact the investigation, code named Operation Gridley, on 09 8205763, or text on 021 1912865 or email [email protected]

People can supply information anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.