A woman has been killed and a man is critically injured after being shot by police in Christchurch.
Police were called to the Kainga Ora house in Clyde Rd, in the suburb of Bryndwr, about 11pm yesterday after receiving a report of a family harm incident.
Canterbury District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill said in a statement this afternoon a person not at the property made a 111 emergency call to say a man was allegedly armed with a knife and threatening to hurt himself and his partner.
"Due to information provided to police at the time, officers established a safe forward point and made a tactical decision to arm themselves.
"At that point, a woman ran out of the house, closely followed by the man, who was in possession of a hunting knife," Hill said.
"Police believed the woman was at risk of imminent serious harm and fired a single shot, which struck the man.
"As an officer immediately approached the man to provide first aid, the woman picked up the knife and began to threaten the officers.
"Despite an appeal for her to put the weapon down, she advanced on police, brandishing the knife. A second shot was fired, hitting the woman."
The man is now in a stable condition in hospital and his injuries were not thought to be life-threatening.
"These incidents are extremely distressing for all involved, and our number one priority is to offer support to the family of the two people shot, as they come to terms with what has happened."
Support was in place for the 10 officers who were in attendance at the time of the shooting, he said.
Cordons remain in place at the property and a scene examination would be carried out over the next few days.
"I want to assure the community that there is no ongoing threat following the events overnight," Hill said.
"I also want to acknowledge the difficult situation our staff found themselves in last night. Drawing a firearm is one of the last things a police officer wants to do, and this will likely be the most significant decision they will make in their police career."
A critical incident investigation is ongoing, and the matter has been referred to the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA).
Police often called, says neighbour
A nearby resident told RNZ the couple were "always fighting" and said police were routinely called to the address.
The neighbour, who asked not to be named, said they had lived at the house for about six years.
"They were very unhappy. She was a very unhappy person. They fought a lot. She was always calling the police."
For a while police would be called "every few months," she said.
About a year ago the woman who lived at the house told her neighbour the couple were going through anger management. Since then, things appeared to be quieter she said.
"I thought maybe they had sorted things out."
Last night, the resident said she heard a loud bang and later saw police.
"I was surprised that it happened because they'd been quiet for a long while."
Regional director Liz Krause said it would be reaching out to nearby tenants to see if they need more support over the coming days.
A critical incident investigation into the incident was under way and it would also be referred to watchdog the Independent Police Conduct Authority, police said.
- Allied Media and RNZ
