A 13-year-old boy was charged with murder Sunday night after a caregiver was shot to death at her home in rural Taranaki, New Zealand Herald reports.

Rose Kurth, 50, was shot in the head when her partner found her. She died almost instantly, around 3:30 in the afternoon on Sunday near the remote settlement of Urenui, north of New Plymouth.

The teen suspect was stopped by police in a vehicle near Waitara a short time after the estimated time of death of the victim. Police did not give much information to the media, but the boy will appear in the New Plymouth District Court today.

Neighbor Deanne Ball said the boy was taken in by Rose and her partner Kerry Lock a number of years ago.

"All Kerry's done is try to help him ... It's not good, not good at all. It's bloody terrible," said Ms Ball.

Asked how the boy was to the couple, Ms Ball said she thought the boy was a polite young man.

"They come over here to have coffees and he's always been well mannered. It's just one of those things that you read in a book - it was completely out of the blue... I never saw it coming. He's always polite and out helping Kerry with the firewood and out on the farm."

Police recovered a firearm from the scene and they have taken the vehicle the boy was in as part of their investigation.

Detective Senior Sergeant Grant Coward, officer in charge of New Plymouth CIB told the Herald: "It is premature for people to speculate on what happened and who might be involved. We have been talking with people who were at the house to find out more."

Detective Coward also appealed to the public via Dominion Post; those who had seen a 1993 white Ford Telstar between Okoki and Waitara's Bayly St on Sunday afternoon should come forward and help police with the investigation.

"We're trying to find out what happened and why it happened," he said, adding, "We have an idea but we've got to conduct a forensic examination and find out from people up the street and see if anyone saw the car."