A man in his 40s has been charged with two counts of murder and will appear in the Greymouth District Court tomorrow.

Police name a couple who died in an apparent murder-suicide after shots were fired at a Nelson camping ground yesterday.

A witness reported seeing an armed man enter a caravan before screams and shots were heard.

The day he died, Senior Constable Len Snee started work early, jogging past Jan Molenaar's house at dawn to conduct a final reconnaissance.

Blazej Kot killed his 28-year-old wife when 'delusions' made him think she'd been replaced by an identical-looking impostor.

A steel chest plate and Kevlar-type body armour made from a motorcycle jacket protected Jan Molenaar during the Napier seige, an inquest heard.

The police officers shot by Napier gunman Jan Molenaar did not take all possible precautions but could not have known how Molenaar was going to react, according to Coroner David Crerar.

Crime statistics released today show a 9.2 per cent increase in violent offending over the past 12 months.

Jan Molenaar asked police negotiators during his two-day shooting siege to let one of his childhood friends into his Napier house