Tāneatua homicide investigation: Police search for group wanted for assaulting three men, leading to the death of one

Police are calling for any information about the incidents earlier this week. Photo / NZME

Police are searching for a group wanted in connection to three assaults, one of which left a man dead.

A 57-year-old man assaulted in Tāneatua on Monday died in Waikato Hospital yesterday.

In a statement, police said it had established that three incidents occurred in Tāneatua on Monday, one of those being the assault that caused the man's death.

At about 2pm, a group went to the deceased's address on Cobham St, Tāneatua.

Shortly after, that group left the address in a white Mazda hatchback and physically assaulted a 65-year-old male who was eating outside the bakery on Tuhoe St.

Three of that group then went to the Gull petrol station in the white Mazda and, shortly after leaving there, assaulted a 45-year-old male and stole his motorbike, police say.

Police are asking for these people to come forward while detectives continued to piece together exactly what happened.

The police inquiry team also wanted to speak with anyone who saw any of these events, or has knowledge of what happened.

The team, consisting of detectives from the wider Bay of Plenty - including Tauranga, Rotorua and Tokoroa - is committed to establishing the facts surrounding all three incidents and holding those responsible to account, the statement said.

Anyone with information should contact Police via 105 and quote file number 220214/0810, or call Crime Stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.