Joshua Mason Kite (33) has been on the run since Friday when a firearms incident in Whangarei sparked a large-scale police operation involving the Armed Offenders Squad, dog handlers and officers from four police districts.
Police say he shot at two officers in Whangarei and stole their unmarked car before pulling over another vehicle and ordering the people to get out.
He then ditched that car in Maungaturoto and was later sighted in Kaiwaka.
The search is continuing for Kite today.
Kite has a history of criminal offences including convictions for three major armed robberies in Auckland in 2007.
He has also escaped custody after convincing court staff he was another person, and was wanted last month for allegedly possessing methamphetamine for supply
Maungaturoto went into lock-down on Friday and cordons were put in place after the vehicle was found abandoned on Bickerstaffe Rd. The cordons were later removed after he was spotted in Kaiwaka.
On Friday police said they had widened the search area and were now looking for him in the greater Auckland area.
Police say he has links to Wellington as well as Northland and Auckland.
According to a 2007 Court of Appeal decision, Kite was responsible for the planning and execution of three major armed robberies in Auckland between September and November 2006.
He was convicted of stealing $44,000, 50,000 and $140,000 from security guards who were delivering the money to banks or to replenish ATM machines.
In each case Kite would carry reconnaissance of the targeted area and the movements of security personnel. He would then arrange for the placement of stolen vehicles to be used in the robberies and recruit associates to carry them out armed with firearms.
"Mr Kite remained nearby in another vehicle equipped with a police scanner," according to the decision. "As soon as that revealed the robberies had taken place, he would drive off and meet his associates at a predetermined point. The money was then divided between them and the stolen vehicles disposed of."
In another incident, Kite escaped from custody after successfully convincing court staff that he was another person who had been granted bail.
"He had persuaded the person he was impersonating to provide sufficient details to allow the impersonation," the decision says.
He was sentenced to 11 years and eight months' imprisonment with a minimum parole period of two-thirds of the sentenced imposed - about seven years and seven months. Upon appeal this was reduced to a minimum period of imprisonment of six years and eight months.
In a press release in July this year, police said they were looking for Kite for offences including possession of methamphetamine for supply. Police said at the time he could have made his way as far south as Christchurch and he should not be approached.
It is the second manhunt in the space of two days in the Northland region and comes after armed police searched for Mark Andrew Fletcher, who fled into rural bush and farmland in Whakapara on Thursday.
Four daycare centres and preschools in Kaiwaka closed on Friday . While all primary schools opened, a number of parents in Maungaturoto kept their children home fearing for their safety.
Kite is described as Maori, approximately 180cm tall and of medium-solid build.
Any sightings of him should be immediately reported to police by calling 111.
