A police investigation is underway after a man was found with a gunshot wound on Fairy Springs Rd in Rotorua.
A police media spokeswoman said the man was found near Sky Supermarket about 1am on Sunday.
The man was now in Waikato Hospital in a stable condition.
For Sherrill Flavell, the incident, which happened near her home, was unsettling.
"I woke up when my children came home and noticed all the flashing lights. I got up and there were just police everywhere.
"My children informed me that as they were coming home, the police stopped and advised them that someone had been shot."
Flavell's first thought was it was too close to home, then questions started creeping in about what actually happened.
Police said they were following a number of lines of inquiry and had found a vehicle involved in the incident.
A forensic examination is ongoing.
A St John spokesman said they were notified of the incident via a 111 call and sent one ambulance to the scene. The patient was treated there before being taken to Rotorua Hospital, he said.
No further information regarding the incident was available at this time, but that did not ease Flavell's concerns.
She was hoping to hear something from police amid concerns for her own safety following the event.
"It was a big deal to me actually. I was just concerned really, concerned for the neighbourhood."
Anyone with information can call police via 105 and quote file number 200927/1634 or can provide information anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.