One person critical after stabbing near Countdown in Mt Wellington, Auckland

A man has been hospitalised after a stabbing outside a Countdown supermarket in the Auckland suburb of Mt Wellington.

Witnesses have reportedly said a homeless person was stabbed in the eye by another homeless person.

A police spokeswoman said they were called at 8.04am to the stabbing outside an address on Penrose Rd.

"The victim is in a stable condition in hospital," the police spokeswoman said.

"Police will conduct a scene examination and inquiries are ongoing to locate the offender.

"Initial inquiries indicate this was an isolated incident."

An area outside the Countdown is cordoned off by police officers, but the supermarket is still open and accessible from the other side of the entrance.

A Countdown manager said staff members had gone to help the injured person, and he believed one had accompanied the victim in the ambulance to hospital.

A St John spokeswoman said they had sent two ambulances to the emergency and one patient went to Auckland City Hospital in a critical condition.

An Auckland DHB spokeswoman confirmed he was stable before he was tranferred to Middlemore Hospital.

The assistant manager of the St Pierre's Sushi, Steven Sanjaya, said their store was closed as it was behind the police cordon.

It had come as shock amid a quiet morning, he said.