A 18-year-old woman has been charged with the murder of Alicia Robinson in Christchurch.

A woman who died after allegedly suffering stab wounds at a party in Christchurch was a "caring and loving" mother of a 3-year-old boy, her family says.

Police were called to an incident at a property in Avonhead Rd, near Yaldhurst Rd, in Avonhead, shortly after midnight on Sunday.

Canterbury district crime manager Detective Inspector Corrie Parnell said a woman had died. Her death was being treated as a homicide.

DAVID WALKER/STUFF Forensic staff and detectives prepare to start a scene examination at the property in Avonhead Road.

On Sunday night no arrests had been made.

Police are yet to name the victim, but family have confirmed she was 32-year-old Alicia Robinson.

A team of 20 investigators are working on the case, which is likely to put extra strain on police as they continue a major investigation into the disappearance of Christchurch builder Michael McGrath, who was last seen at his Halswell home on May 21.

DAVID WALKER/STUFF Police were called to the home on Avonhead Rd shortly after midnight.

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Paul Robinson told Stuff on Sunday he was struggling to come to grips with the loss of his daughter.

He learned about her death when his two nieces visited his home in Nelson on Sunday morning.

DAVID WALKER/STUFF Police have cordoned off part of Avonhead Road as they investigate a possible homicide.

"They said I need to sit down and take this phone call, their mother was on the other end of the phone and told me what happened.

"All I've heard is that she was in an altercation with this other girl, [she] got the better of her and so the other girl went and grabbed something sharp and stabbed her."

Paul Robinson said his daughter was "a good girl" and a loving mother to her three-year-old son.

"I'm just in limbo at the moment wondering what the hell is going on. She's in Christchurch, I'm in Nelson. What can you do?"

Paul Robinson's wife, Missy, said the family was "absolutely devastated".

"All her family here in Nelson and Te Puke will dearly miss her presence."

She said Alicia Robinson was a "loving, caring" mother to her son.

Acting Detective Inspector Michael Ford said police believed the woman's death was "an isolated incident and there is no safety concerns for the general public", Ford said.

Anyone who was in the Avonhead Rd area about midnight and noticed anything out of the ordinary should contact police.

An Avonhead Rd resident, who did not want to be named, said she returned home about 10pm on Saturday to a party next door.

"There were a lot of people just talking outside and a bit of music."

An hour later she heard fireworks.

"Then everything started to get quieter and we went to bed and I didn't hear anything."

The woman said she woke on Sunday morning to find her neighbour's home was a crime scene.

"It seems like something has happened in the driveway, we can see some tarpaulin down there."

Neighbour Jared Pol said it "sounded like a lot of people" were at the house about 11:30pm on Saturday.

"I've heard a few parties coming from that address."

Canterbury district commander Superintendent John Price said it was a busy time for investigators in Christchurch, but resources were not stretched.

"It's the nature of policing to be quite honest, we work in peaks and troughs constantly."

Resources could be called upon from other areas of the country if needed.

Anyone with information about Alicia Robinson's death should contact Christchurch police on 03 363 7400 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.