Community volunteers are pledging to keep up the search for a missing Upper Hutt woman, despite police scaling back their efforts.
Mary Berrington, 62, was reported missing on Wednesday having been last seen at a church function on Tuesday night.
Police have had to suspend their search, but volunteer coordinator Daniel Talbot says that isn't stopping the community.
"There's probably well over one hundred people every day coming in and helping with passing out the leaflets and things like that and then all the searching side of things as well - I'm not prepared to give up yet, we've just got to keep on."
Mr Talbot says search volunteers will go back over the Hutt River banks early this week.
Police say Ms Berrington's disappearance is now being treated as a missing person investigation.
After five days, the search for her has been suspended.
Searchers went house-to-house in the Fergusson Dr area where she lives, and divers have searched the Hutt River.
"A large number of people have worked tirelessly over the last four days to try and find Mary and bring her home to her family," Detective David Mason said on Sunday.
"An exhaustive search effort has been carried out and we have now completed searches of all reasonably possible areas where Mary could be."
Police say Ms Berrington, who has a degree of mental impairment, may be hiding because she thinks she's done something wrong when she hasn't.
"We are still keen to hear from anyone who may have seen Mary, or who thinks they may have information that would help us establish what has happened to her," he said.
People with any information on Ms Berrington's whereabouts are advised to call Upper Hutt police on (04) 527 2300.
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