A 31-year-old Tauranga man, bashed over the head with a hammer, was in an induced coma in Waikato Hospital, police said tonight.
Senior Sergeant Rob Glencross, of Tauranga CIB, said the man's condition was critical.
The man, from the beachside suburb Papamoa, had been hit in the head with what witnesses described as a claw hammer on a Mount Maunganui roadside shortly before 6pm on Sunday.
He was flown by helicopter to Waikato Hospital where emergency surgery was performed to relieve pressure on his brain.
Police were looking for a 1991 Nissan Maxima sedan, registration number UE1805.
The car was described as being either blue or dark coloured with lowered suspension and chromed mag wheels.
Mr Glencross said a "sizeable police team" were continuing to investigate the assault.
They were "following strong lines of inquiry".
