Levin stand-off: Neighbours tell of frustration and concern

The Levin man at the centre of a tense 30-hour stand-off with police late last week remains in a moderate condition in Palmerston North Hospital, after initially being described as being in a serious condition.

As police and armed offenders squad members were camped outside his property, Paul Kenneth Smith, 62, was posting on social media.

The stand-off began on Thursday afternoon when police cordoned off Bledisloe St, reportedly responding to a threat of self-harm, and began evacuating dozens of neighbouring people from their homes.

Police armed offenders squad members positioned on Bledisloe Street, Levin, as they negotiate with a man that had barricaded himself in a house on the street. Photo / Mark Mitchell

After a night and day had passed with no resolution, smoke and flames were seen coming from the property later on Friday night. Fire and Emergency services turned a hose on the house from the road outside, subduing the blaze.

Police managed to enter the property where Smith was found suffering from smoke inhalation and stretchered him out.

Police are considering laying charges.

Smith's earlier social media posts and later media reports show he was struggling with a long-running dispute over a family estate. He had contacted media first in an agitated state, which sparked the initial police response.

Neighbours said there was a heavy police presence at the property on Tuesday night.

Most, but not all, nearby residents were evacuated. Horowhenua District Council coordinated a response that found emergency accommodation for those that were.

They were allowed to return to their homes late on Friday night, after spending more than 30 hours away from their homes.

Some evacuated residents at first thought it was a bomb scare, although it was never confirmed by police that explosives were involved.

There was a mixture of frustration and concern among residents, who described Smith as "nice enough", although it was obvious to others he was dealing with personal issues.

Another neighbour said he had always kept the property in good shape, but in recent months the lawns had not been mown and some of the front windows had been bordered with plywood with messages written on them.

Diane, who did not want to share her surname, chose to sleep the night with her husband in the car, not expecting the stand-off to last as long as it did. Evacuating without extra clothes or blankets, they turned the car heater on every now and then for warmth, but only got "about two hours" sleep.

An early childhood educator, she had managed to find alternative placement for children under her care that morning.

An evacuation zone was set up which kept onlookers well away from the house. The throng watched from behind orange cones as people came and went throughout the day, with very little to see and no resolution in sight.

Police gave a media conference at Horowhenua District Council at 1.30pm on Friday where Manawatū area commander Sarah Stewart said the number one priority for police was to resolve the issue safely, while giving few details about the situation.

Bledisloe Dairy owner Tushar Patel.

Meanwhile, nearby business owners were left ruing lost business on Thursday night, after being caught up in the evacuation zone and being told to shut their doors at 5pm.

Bledisloe Dairy owner Tushar Patel said he lost hours of valuable trade, while Josh Larsen's estimated $700 in lost revenue from his Vape shop and what was traditionally one his busiest nights of the week.

Jason Larsen and Aroha Nicholson from a shop selling vape products on Bledisloe Street that had to shut shop early on Thursday night.

The evacuation zone was moved further down the street by Friday morning, allowing shop owners to open and continue trading.

Police have now finished the scene examination at the Bledisloe St property and are expected to hold an incident review to discuss what went well and what could have been done better.