Police have released the name of the man found dead outside a outside a rural property in Taranaki on Sunday.

He was 33-year-old Jacob Ramsay, a husband and father from Taranaki.

The man's body was discovered 8.40am on Sunday morning and police were called to a Kina Rd property in Oaonui.

A police spokesperson today said the homicide investigation is continuing.

"We have a dedicated team working to determine the circumstances of Jacob's death and hold any offenders to account."

A forensic scene examination of the property began over the weekend and a post-mortem was expected to be carried out early this week.

On Sunday, detective inspector Brent Matuku said: "While we are treating this death as suspicious, we are in the very early stages of understanding what has happened to our victim."