Family rallies around 91-year-old hurt in Mt Wellington home invasion

Eileen Harwood, with her twin great-granddaughters. Harwood was assaulted in a home invasion in Mt Wellington on Monday. New Zealand Herald photograph by Michael Craig.

The family of a 91-year-old who suffered a head injury in a home invasion are rallying around the great-grandmother to make sure she is safe in her Mt Wellington house.

Eileen Harwood had her purse and shopping stolen by two men after returning to her Mountain Rd home from an outing with her daughter Sue Tutt about 3.30pm on Monday.

Harwood was pushed to the ground and knocked unconscious by one of the men, Tutt told the Herald.

Harwood's great-granddaughter Kaitlyn Tutt has today set up a GiveaLittle page to raise money "to have a security door fitted to [Harwood's] ranchslider so she doesn't have to be subjected to this kind of brutality again".

"It breaks our heart to think that our precious grandma had to experience such a horrific thing in her own home," she wrote.

"We need to take care of our elderly family members and if we can make her feel safer any way we can then that's what we will do."

Sue Tutt described her mum as a "feisty and independent" woman and Harwood's grandson Kevin Tutt said they were considering installing security cameras.

Detective Senior Sergeant Glenn Baldwin called the incident a "deplorable attack on a vulnerable person".

"Our elderly have the right to feel safe in their own homes without the fear of something like this happening."

Police "flooded the area", but could not find the offenders.