Fatal police shooting of Waikanae man Christopher Wayne Brown 'not a Porirua event'

Police guard a scene on Mana Esplanade in Porirua after an officer fatally shot Christopher Wayne Brown on Sunday. Photo / Ben Nichols

Porirua's mayor has expressed his sympathy for those involved in the fatal police shooting on Sunday, but stresses the incident "had nothing to do with Porirua".

Christopher Wayne Brown, 44, was shot by a police officer on Sunday after he approached the officer with a machete on Mana Esplanade in Porirua.

Brown, who is from Waikanae, died en route to the hospital.

Police had been searching for him after a domestic dispute callout.

Porirua mayor Mike Tana said he believed the decision was made by the police officer "for the good of the people".

"By way of process I think they did a good job of keeping the harm to a minimum," he said.

"This event wasn't a Porirua event, but it was managed in a way that someone from Porirua, a police officer, had to make a decision. He or she didn't want people from Porirua to be included in this event or to be hurt or killed in this event."

Tana said he felt sorry for Brown's family and for the officer who had to make the call to shoot him.

He said Porirua "doesn't really have those kinds of events happening".

"There is, I guess, a stigma around parts of Porirua, it takes a long time for stigmas to change."

People needed to know Brown was not from Porirua, he said.

"I don't think anyone would say this is a Porirua issue at all."

On the contrary, Tana pointed out the safety of the area, given the city had a high number of police patrols, as well as the police college "smack bang in the middle".

"Porirua is quickly losing that old tag of being that place you go to if you can't afford going to Wellington."

Tana said he had not heard from any residents who were concerned about safety, but if he did, the council would put them in touch with the right support services.