New Zealand actor Alex Tarrant cast in NCIS: Hawai'i' lead role

Alex Tarrant will play Kai in NCIS: Hawai'i. Photo / Supplied

A New Zealand actor has been cast in a lead role in an NCIS spin-off.

Alex Tarrant will play Kai in NCIS: Hawai'i, Deadline reports.

Tarrant is known for his several NZ television roles, including on 800 words, Shortland Street and Filthy Rich.

He is also starring in Amazon's Lord of the Rings series.

Tarrant is of Māori, Samoan, and Niuean descent.

The actor landed the lead role opposite actress Vanessa Lachey in the CBS franchise. The show's synopsis teases a high-stakes cop show.

Jane Tennant (Lachey) plays the first female special agent who runs the NCIS Pearl Harbour team "as they balance duty to family and country, investigating high-stakes crimes involving military personnel, national security and the mysteries of the island itself".

Tarrant's character is a series regular role as an island local, which means he blends in, helping him to solve crime. He recently returned home to take care of his sick father and has to confront his complicated past.

Tarrant shared the casting news on his Instagram account and captioned the post "Aloha".

The original NCIS show is the seventh-longest-running scripted US primetime TV series. The franchise's other spin-offs include NCIS: New Orleans and NCIS: Los Angeles.

Filming for NCIS: Hawai'i began in June this year, Deadline reports.

NCIS: Los Angeles currently screens on Three in New Zealand.