As police detectives 9425km apart seek answers over the gruesome discovery of two children's body's in suitcases at a South Auckland home, a local body politician has spoken of the impact it was having in the nearby community.

The police investigation into the case – launched after the grisly find on August 11 at a Manurewa property – has seen Interpol called in, and officers in South Korea also contacted, in a bid to find the dead children's mum who is believed to be in South Korea.

The father of the two young children had reportedly died before their disappearance.

Police confirmed on Friday they had positively identified the two children at the centre of the homicide inquiry which has shocked the nation.

The bodies were discovered by a family who had purchased the contents of storage container, with the items including the suitcases their remains were placed in.

Manurewa-Papakura Ward Councillor Daniel Newman today said the terrible case had had a huge impact on those living in the area, and he said he felt hugely for the innocent family who had made the grisly find.

"This has been a harrowing episode that has brought intrigue and questions upon an innocent family and the Clendon community where they live," Newman said.

Local councillor Daniel Newman has spoken of how the Manurewa and Clendon community continue to be shocked by the case. Photo / Michael Craig

"The residents of Moncrieff Avenue are innocent and they are unwitting victims too.

"The tragic death of the two children is rightly the subject of a Police investigation. The circumstances of their death needs to be understood and anyone responsible needs to be held accountable."

"But the Clendon community is not responsible. As I talk with residents in Clendon there is a profound sense of disbelief that two children could be left in that way and a desire for answers as to how they died."

Police confirmed on Friday that they had formally identified both young victims.

But they would not release further information – including the names of the children or their relatives – due to the Coroner issuing an interim non-publication order which suppresses evidence of the identities of the children at the request of their family.

The father of the two dead children died of cancer while living in New Zealand in late 2017, Stuff reported today.

The year after his death, the children's mother reportedly flew back to South Korea, where the couple were originally from.

Eight days ago, the Herald revealed the human remains found in suitcases bought as part of an auction for abandoned goods in a storage unit in South Auckland were of two young children.

Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelualater confirmed the bodies - found at a Manurewa property on August 11 - are primary school-aged, as ascertained by the post-mortem report.

The bodies were discovered by a family who had purchased the contents of a storage container. Photo / Dean Purcell

Early indications were that the children could have been deceased for a number of years before being found, he told journalists.

Police were following "positive lines of inquiry" in terms of the storage unit rental, Vaaelua said.

He said the children were aged between 5 and 10 and police were working on establishing when and where they died.

"What I can say is we are making very good progress with DNA inquiries," he said at the time.

"We are doing our very best to conclude the inquiry and figure out what happened to these young children.

"This is no easy investigation."

Vaaelua said "horrific cases like this" are difficult for homicide investigators, especially those who were parents themselves.

He declined to answer several questions from media, saying the investigation may otherwise be compromised.

Relatives of the victims "were in New Zealand", he said, but police were also working with Interpol.

It has since emerged South Korean authorities have also been approached for assistance.

A neighbour on the scene at the time of the terrible discovery told the Herald there was "kids' stuff in the back of the trailer: prams, toys, walker" which transported the suitcases.

A police forensics team enters the property where the suitcases containing the bodies were located. Photo / Dean Purcell

According to police, people living at the Moncrieff Ave house brought "unowned property to their address" and "are not involved in the incident".

It is understood the family purchased the contents of a storage locker as part of an online auction and found the remains in suitcases as part of the purchase.

A neighbour told the Herald the family found the remains in suitcases while they were unpacking and sorting through a trailer-load of the property on their front yard and driveway.

A man at the property on Moncrieff Ave, Manurewa, last week said he was looking after the house for his immediate family who had allegedly left Auckland after making the find.

"We're doing all right. As long as everyone leaves us alone we'll be all right," the family member said.

"They've gone away [the family who discovered the remains]. I wasn't here."