Man shot by police after shooting police dog in Tangowahine, near Dargaville, Northland

A man was shot by police after shooting a police dog during an incident near Dargaville, Northland.

Police said the couple were separately airlifted to hospital and veterinary surgery for treatment after the shooting in the rural settlement of Tangowahine.

Superintendent Tony Hill said officers were still working to understand what happened, but confirmed that the man was shot by an officer after he shot the police dog.

Police were called to the area at 9.17am after a member of the public reported a suspicious person on Tangowhine Valley Rd.

“We are in the early stages of establishing what exactly happened, but an update will be provided as soon as it is available,” Hill said.

The injured dog has been airlifted to the Veterinary Specialist Group on the Auckland Unitec campus in Mt Albert, which performs complex animal surgeries.

Staff were seen running to the Northland rescue helicopter encounter when it landed, then carrying the dog on a stretcher with a drip attached.

A local resident said he had heard many police cars traveling down State Highway 14, starting just before 10 a.m.

She said that around 10:45 a.m. she had seen a dog driving a car along with two undercover police cars.

At Tangowahine School, classes continued normally, Principal Huw Wainwright said.

He said the police had told them that an incident was unfolding but had not provided details of what had happened or where.

The school was not closed, he said, adding: “The police have not advised us to do anything out of the ordinary.”

“We have not informed the students just to keep them safe,” he said.