Queenstown stabbing suspect able to flee NZ, found in Australia

A suspect in the Queenstown stabbing was found in Australia.

An Otago man wanted in relation to a stabbing in Queenstown last weekend has been detained by police entering Australia.

Two men were flown to Dunedin Hospital, one with critical injuries and one with serious injuries, following a brawl in the early hours of Sunday morning on Camp Street.

Both are now in a stable condition.

In a statement police said the Otago man, who had a warrant for his arrest, was detained by Australian Federal Police about 7pm last night.

Police were working with the both Australian police and the New Zealand Police liaison office based in Sydney to have the man returned to New Zealand.

The timeframe for that was yet to be confirmed.

Another man has been identified for the bottling of another male involved in the brawl, and will be spoken to by police.

Detective Senior Sergeant Malcolm Inglis, of Queenstown, said he wanted to thank those involved early on Sunday morning – from the nearby security guards, to other members of the public who tried to stop the fight and separate the two groups.

"I'd also like to commend the officers who first arrived on scene, who administered first aid to the victim who had life-threatening injuries.

"The investigation team has worked extremely hard over the past two days to get a resolution in this case, as this type of offending is rare for the Queenstown area."

Queenstown police continue to investigate the incident and remain keen to hear from anyone who saw what happened or who has information that may assist.