Attacked woman 'may not recover'

A woman who was held down and sexually assaulted by four men in Tokoroa at the weekend may never fully recover from the attack, police say.

The 23-year-old woman was walking alone on Kelso St at about 3am on Sunday when a passing utility vehicle with four men inside stopped next to her.

Two men jumped from the back of the ute, chased the woman on to a side street and tackled her.

The other two men then helped to hold her down while she was sexually assaulted.

They were scared off by a combination of the woman's screams, an elderly man walking down the road and a nearby property light being turned on, said Detective Senior Sergeant Todd Pearce of Tokoroa police.

"We're just trying to provide her with all the support we can," said Mr Pearce.

"This is an extremely traumatic event and it may be something she never gets over.

"Clearly a significant part of what we're trying to achieve for her is to hold these people accountable by locating them and being able to prosecute them."

Mr Pearce said the utility vehicle was described as matt black with chrome mag wheels and a loud exhaust, and there was a small couch on the tray of the ute at the time of the attack.

The men were described as fair-skinned Maori or Pacific Islanders aged 20 to 24.

"This was an extremely frightening crime for this victim to endure.

"However, it is entirely solvable," Mr Pearce said.

"We need information from the Tokoroa community to help identify those responsible and prevent them from doing this to anyone else.

"I am sure that someone in the community can identify the offenders responsible from the description of their vehicle."

Mr Pearce said police also wanted to hear from the man who was walking down the road.

They also wanted to hear from the person who might have turned on their outside light.

"They may have witnessed this attack and be able to help us with crucial information."

- NZPA