Man's ribs cut in chainsaw incident

File photo / NZ Herald

UPDATED 2.06pm: The man wounded by a chainsaw in an altercation with another man this morning is now in a stable condition at Tauranga Hospital.

The 37-year-old Te Puke man was treated for a serious cut to his ribcage following an altercation involving a chainsaw.

Police were called to Rangiruru Rd, south of Te Puke, at 11am to reports of a serious assault.

The altercation involved two men known to each other on a rural property in the Rangiruru Rd area of Te Puke, where there were several people.

A police spokeswoman said during the argument one of the men, aged 37, received an injury to his back caused by a chainsaw.

Detective Iain Chapman said the man was now receiving treatment at Tauranga Hospital for a "fairly decent cut to his rib cage".

However, the injury was not believed to be life-threatening.

Detectives were now working on a scene examination where the incident happened.

There have been no arrests made at this stage.