A car stolen from Napier was used as a getaway vehicle for a group of armed robbers who held up a Gisborne dairy.
Police were called to the theft at Hospital Store on Ormond Rd, in the Gisborne suburb of Mangapapa, about 8am on Tuesday.
A police spokeswoman said three men entered the store, one armed with a weapon, and stole tobacco and money before leaving in a vehicle.
The getaway car, believed to be a silver-coloured Mazda Familia hatchback, was reported stolen from Napier on Sunday night.