Assault inquiry to take days

File photo / NZ Herald

Dunedin police say it could take days to establish what happened when a man was attacked by a large group of people over the weekend.

The 30-year-old was set upon by up to 20 people -- one was carrying a machete or similar weapon -- in a central city carpark about 1am on Saturday night.

Police were starting to get a rough picture of what happened, Detective Sergeant Rob Hanna told NZPA today.

"There was a verbal altercation between the two groups and it's escalated into a brawl...

"The victim's hit the ground and it appears he's had the boot put in him there."

Police were still trying to locate those involved and talk to them.

"It's one of those investigations that may take days, we're talking 20, 30 people and we're just plugging through them at the moment, getting a firm picture of what's happened."

The victim had been taken to hospital where he was operated on and would be discharged in the next two to three days, Mr Hanna said.

- NZPA