Paeroa man fatally shot in Te Urewera hunting incident, police say

A hunter has been fatally shot in Te Urewera, police say. Photo / NZME

A Paeroa man has been fatally shot while hunting in Te Urewera Ranges, police say.

A spokesperson said in a statement an investigation was under way after the incident in Te Urewera Ranges, Rutuahuna, early on Friday morning.

”Police responded to the incident after a personal locator beacon was activated on the Te Urewera Ranges around 2am.”

On arrival, a 63-year-old man was found dead.

Police initially said the man was from Rotorua, but later said this was an error and he was from Paeroa.

Police were speaking with a man who was assisting with inquiries.

No charges had been laid or arrests made at this stage of the investigation.

A post mortem examination was finished todayand police were “working hard to determine exactly what occurred”.

7 rules of firearm safety

Police urged anyone who owned or used firearms to follow the seven rules of firearm safety:

1. Always treat your firearm as loaded
2. Always point firearms in a safe direction,
3. Chamber your cartridge only when you are shooting,
4. Identify your target beyond all doubt,
5. Check your firing zone,
6. Store and transport firearms and ammunition safely,
7. Avoid alcohol or drugs when handling firearms.

Correction

This story, including headlines, has been updated to reflect that the man who died was from Paeroa, not Rotorua. The information was incorrectly supplied by police.