Armed police mass on Waikato marae after reports of shooter puts authorities into full response

A police officer at the cordon near the Whakaaratamaiti Marae south of Putaruru. Photo / Stephen Parker

A platoon of armed police officers converged on a rural Waikato marae tonight as reports of a man telling passers-by someone had been shot put authorities into a full response.

Several ambulances sat idle behind a cordon and several roads were blocked as police, believed to number up to 40 officers, tried to ascertain what had happened at the location near Putaruru.

Police first responded to reports of a shooting near the Whakaaratamaiti Marae located just 2.5km south of Putaruru at 4.45pm.

"The calls followed a man approaching passers-by in the area, saying someone had been shot," police said.

Putaruru is a small town that straddles State Highway 1 on the North Island and sits between Hamilton and Rotorua.

Police located the man who had told people about a shooting after 8pm and said they were trying to figure out the circumstances behind his actions.

"We can confirm that there is still nothing to indicate that anyone has been shot and there is no risk to the community."

An ambulance spokesman said St John attended the scene and were instructed to wait at a "staging point" until police deemed the scene safe.

Despite the prolific police presence, including the Armed Offenders Squad, the chair of the marae confirmed nothing was going on at the property.

An hour after the callout, Whakaaratamaiti Marae chairman Justin Dick told the Herald everyone on the marae itself was safe but they had been told by police to stay indoors.

An ambulance behind the cordon as police, believed to be as many as 40 officers, tried to ascertain what had actually happened at the location near Putaruru. Photo / Stephen Parker

A man who lived next to a marae on Domain Rd, near Whakaaratamaiti, told the Herald a man had come onto his property at 4.45pm telling him that there was someone at the marae shooting people.

The man came onto his property as he was mowing the lawns and shared his concerns before jumping the fence and heading off.

Another person also confirmed someone had told them about a shooting.

Michael Flaws, from the business Kiwi Lumber on Domain Rd, told 1 NEWS a person came on to the property claiming there were gunshots at a nearby marae.

"I personally didn't hear anything," he said.

"There are a carload of people at our gate and armed police have just arrived."

Kiwi Lumber timber machinist Paku Marurai was stopped at the cordon by police, who asked him if he had seen or heard of any shooting in the area.

He was prevented from travelling down Domain Rd because of reports of shots being fired in the area.

A nervous staff member of a central Putaruru business told the Herald that something was going on but she was not sure what.

A reporter at the scene said there were numerous cars at the intersection of Domain Rd and SH1 after police set up a cordon at the intersections of Harris Rd and Whites Rd and at Harris Rd and Domain Rd.

Many of the police were in bullet-proof vests, the reporter said.

A police spokesperson said they were called to the marae at 4.45pm after reports of the man who had approached people in the area, saying that someone had been shot.

"Police are currently at the marae making inquiries," a spokesperson said.

There was nothing to indicate that anyone had in fact been shot, the spokesperson said.