Police are hunting two men after an attempted aggravated robbery in Havelock North on Saturday.
Detective Sergeant Craig Vining said two males entered the Lispscombe Crescent Dairy at about 12.25pm. They confronted the female shop owner, who ran to the back of the store.
The offenders tried to open the till but failed, and later ran from the dairy onto Sefton St.
They are described as being in their mid to late teens, both wearing hooded sweatshirts.
One was wearing shorts.
Police want to speak with two people standing on the corner of Sefton and Tasman Streets who may have seen the offenders run past.
One of these witnesses is described as a female Caucasian, between 16-19 years old, with long red hair.
She was with a male of a similar age.
The shop owner did not wish to comment on the situation and asked for privacy at this time.
He said that they were continuing to work closely with police and that the staff members "were okay" after the incident.
If you are one of those two people, or you have any information that may help police or can identify the people in photographs, call (06) 831 0700.