Man arrested after reported knife fight, gun sighting locked down five Taupō schools

A photo from the cordoned-off area last week.
A photo from the cordoned-off area last week. Photo credit: Newshub

A man has been arrested and charged after an incident in Taupō last week that saw five schools and a kindergarten locked down.

Police said at the time they were called to the Hilltop area after receiving reports of "an altercation between a man and a woman who were both armed with knives".

On Tuesday, Detective Senior Sergeant Ryan Yardley said a man was also reported to have been "agitated and armed with a firearm" in the area.

A car and a gun were seized during the incident, which saw the armed offenders squad and police dog unit called out.

The schools were locked down and streets cordoned off while the incident unfolded.

Police later issued a public plea for information about the man's whereabouts, saying he should "come forward sooner rather than later".

Yardley said a 28-year-old man was arrested in Counties Manukau on Tuesday.

He was due to appear in the Manukau District Court today on firearms charges relating to the Hilltop incident.

"We understand this was a distressing incident, and police worked incredibly hard to bring this man before the courts," Yardley said.

RNZ