Court date follows Winz bomb threat

Police located him in Opua about 1.15pm, arrested him, and took him back to the Kawakawa station.

A Bay of Islands man is due in court this morning following a bomb threat which closed Kawakawa's Work and Income office.

It is understood the 52-year-old called the office yesterday morning threatening to blow it up.

Sergeant Kevin Milne, of Kawakawa police, said Work and Income activated its response plan and alerted police.

The man, a Work and Income client, was known to staff at the Kawakawa office.

Police located him in Opua about 1.15pm, arrested him, and took him back to the Kawakawa station.

He was to spend the night in the Whangarei police cells and would appear in the Kaikohe District Court today on a number of charges related to the threat.

Police established quickly there was no bomb and that his threat related to some time in the future. Enquiries were continuing, Mr Milne said.

There are eight Work and Income offices in Northland.

Work and Income deputy chief executive Debbie Power said there have been a number of threats made against staff around the country since the September 1 incident in Ashburton where two staff were shot dead and another seriously injured.

"We take these [threats] very seriously," Ms Power said.

Following the events in Ashburton, Work and Income has brought in a range of measures to address staff and client safety, including controlled access, additional security guards and providing staff with support they may need.