A female shop attendant, an elderly woman and two small children have been threatened during a "brazen" aggravated robbery at a Tokoroa dairy.
Two hooded men burst into the Pohutukawa Superette on Kauri St in Tokoroa on Saturday just before 7.30pm wielding a crow bar and demanding money.
Detective Sergeant Kevan Verry said there were two women and two children aged 10 and 6 at the family-run store during the attack.
He said Victim Support was helping the family.
"They are handling it pretty well.
"They are a bit shaken by what's happened but are more shocked at how brazen it was at that time of night."
An undisclosed amount of cash and two boxes of chewing gum were taken.
The men were described as Maori or Pacific Islanders, aged between 18 and 22, wearing dark coloured pants and hooded tops. One was wearing a baseball cap under his hood.
If you know who the men are or have information, contact Tokoroa police on (07) 886 5189.