Barman beaten over the head by armed robbers

File photo / NZ Herald

A barman was beaten over the head with a gun while being forced to clear the safe at his workplace of tens of thousands of dollars by two men in Auckland last night.

As two workers were closing up at the Clendon Inn Sports Bar in Manurewa at about 9.30pm a man putting the rubbish out was confronted by two men with a gun, Detective Sergeant Malcolm Hassall said.

They forced him inside the bar and to the safe, while making the other worker, a woman, go into a chiller.

As the man was emptying the safe he was struck over the head several times, Mr Hassall said.

The safe was full of cash from pokie machines, TAB and the bar, equating to tens of thousands of dollars.

The assailants then took off in a waiting car with all the cash, Mr Hassall said.

The male worker was taken to hospital last night where he was treated and discharged. The woman was not injured, but both workers were shaken by the incident.

It was not known what the car looked like.

One of the men was described as large, with brown skin and acne. He had short black hair which got longer at the back.

The other man was described as skinny, Maori, and wearing a black t-shirt with numbers on the back and a cap.