Police hunt for offenders after roadside assault in Norsewood

Police are searching for several people who allegedly assaulted a man on the side of State Highway 2 near Norsewood. The incident occurred around 10.30am on Saturday morning. The victim was airlifted to Wellington Hospital with critical injuries.

The alleged offenders fled the scene in a vehicle. Police have requested that anyone travelling through the area at the time contact them, particularly if they have dashcam footage.

State Highway 2 was initially closed between Kopua Road and Whenuahou Road. The road reopened to traffic at 2.10pm, and cordons were lifted by approximately 6.20pm on Saturday.

Tararua Mayor Scott Gilmore stated he has had conversations with the area commander and expressed confidence in the police response. He said, "I know that there’ll be a very visible police presence in the area and that they will respond as they need to".

How it developed

• Sat 10 Oct, 6:44pmTararua Mayor Scott Gilmore commented on his confidence in the police investigation.
• Sun 11 Oct, 9:05amCordons were noted to have been in place until about 6.20pm on Saturday.

Where reports differ

• One report provides a police reference number of 261010/7441, while others provide P06783179

Compiled from reports by Stuff, 1News, RNZ, NZ Herald and The Post.