Three men will appear in court today charged in relation to a double shooting in Kawerau yesterday that left two men with critical injuries.
Two men, aged 38 and 48, were taken to Waikato Hospital in critical condition after being shot in what police described as a targeted attack at a River Road property about 6.15am.
The men remained in a critical condition at Waikato Hospital today.
A number of properties in the town were searched yesterday and one of those searches during the evening resulted in the arrest of a 29-year-old local man, a police spokeswoman said.
Following that arrest, two other local men, aged 21 and 52 handed themselves in to the Kawerau Police Station.
All three men have been charged with attempted murder and will appear at Whakatane District Court today.
Police had not ruled out further arrests as enquiries continued, the spokeswoman said.
Acting Area Commander Greg Standen said indications were that the two shot men were targeted by a group of people.
"We have nothing to suggest that there are fears for anyone else's safety at this stage. I want to reassure the community that we are across this incident; we have a large number of staff in the area and are confident that with the hard work of our team and the assistance from the public we can move towards an early resolution."
A cordon remained in place around the River Road address while a scene examination was being undertaken.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Kawerau Police on 07 308 5255. Information can be also be given anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
