The uncle of a man stabbed 10 times in a frenzied attack had a gun pointed at his face in another raid on the family's shop.
Masked robbers with a gun and hammer raided Park Rd Da
Three offenders had entered the service station at 6am, one armed with a pistol, one with a hammer and one with an unknown object.
They assaulted the female attendant and fled without taking anything.
Twenty minutes later they held up the Park Rd Dairy, 25km away.
Two robbers, with a gun and hammer, confronted Harjil Singh as he entered the shop from a rear storeroom carrying pies.
One robber pointed a pistol at his face.
"Where's your money? Where's your smokes?" the robber demanded.
Mr Singh replied: "There, there," indicating towards the counter behind which the cigarettes were locked away.
Then he dropped the pies and ran through a side door into the family living quarters where his wife, daughters and nephews were.
His wife went into the store to find the robbers had gone.
Mr Singh's nephew Ramandeep Singh went to the Katikati police station to report the attempted robbery.
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Mr Singh was calm about the attack yesterday afternoon but Ramandeep Singh was more concerned.
On March 16, Ramandeep Singh was stabbed at least 10 times in his head, neck, back, chest, arm and a lung, with what doctors believe was a screwdriver. A man was arrested.
He said the Government was partly to blame for what he saw as a rise in violent robberies associated with the rising price of tobacco. "I'm worried about this. In the next two to three years, smokes will be $20 and ... then every morning this will be happening.
"My message to John Key is: This is too much now, this is not good for shopkeepers. Do something," Ramandeep Singh said.
"This is the second time in two or three months, and both for no reason. It's really hard. Next time they are going to hurt someone or kill someone. We'll need helmets and bullet-proof vests."
Security camera footage from both Mobil and the Park Rd Dairy show that the same offenders were responsible.
Senior Sergeant Lew Warner said the worrying part for police was the offenders' willingness to carry weapons.
"It's concerning for us that they've used a firearm in two incidents in a short time. It means they're not worried about using it. For something to go wrong [during the robbery] doesn't take much," he said.
Mobil Waihi staff would not comment and a Mobil New Zealand spokesman said he was not aware of the incident.
Police want to speak to anyone who witnessed suspicious activity near the two premises targeted in the attacks or erratic driving between Waihi and Katikati on State Highway 2 between 6am and 6.20am yesterday.
Anyone with information should call 0800 Speak Up anonymously or contact Detective Dianne Lewis on (07) 577 4300.