Police have released CCTV stills of a man who allegedly robbed a suburban Wellington bank at knifepoint this afternoon.
Armed police launched a manhunt after the robbery at the ASB Bank in Kilbirnie about 4.30pm.
The armed offenders squad was called in to search for the man, who police said was dangerous.
Detective Sergeant Richard Gibson said the man, armed with a knife, walked into the bank and demanded money.
"He got away with a small amount of cash. No one was injured."
Police said they urgently wanted to hear from anyone who could identify the man in the CCTV images, or who may have information about the robbery.
The suspect was described as a Maori or Polynesian man aged 20-30, of average build, about 1.73m tall, with light facial hair.
Police said the man was wearing white or light coloured shoes, dark trousers and a dark coloured hooded top.
"This person should not be approached by members of the public but any sightings of a male matching that description can be reported to police via the 111 emergency phone number," police said in a statement.