19 Feb 2018

School lockdown lifted but search for gunman continues

5:03 pm on 19 February 2018

The hunt continues for a man who fired shots into a house in the Far North town of Ahipara this morning.

Ahipara School has gone into lockdown.

Ahipara School has gone into lockdown. Photo: Google Maps

But children at the local primary school and a pre-school have been allowed to go home, and police cordons in the village have been lifted.

Both schools went into lockdown after a man fired into a nearby house in Takahe Street at about 10.30am this morning.

Senior Sergeant Peter Robinson said the police now knew who they were looking for and did not think he was a risk to the general public.

"Police do have knowledge of this individual, we don't suspect he poses a risk to any other members of the community. There was ongoing issues between him and the people in the address."

They were searching house to house for him.

The man is of Māori descent, of medium build and about 1.8 metres tall.