Girl may have run off with man in his 40s

Police are appealing for help to trace a 14-year-old Bay of Plenty girl and have named a 41-year-old man they believe she could be with.

Tauranga police Constable Pete Sweeney said Mt Maunganui College student Julie Davis was last seen by friends walking along Topaz Drive in Papamoa at about 3.45pm on July 4 in her school uniform - a grey skirt and red top.

Mr Sweeney said police believed Julie was with Craig Howard, a Maori of medium height and build with a slight lisp who is from the Waingaro area near Raglan.

The pair are not related and police and Julie's family say they are concerned for her welfare and want the public's help in finding her.

Mr Howard was believed to be driving a grey, 1989 Subaru station wagon and police suspected the pair would be in the Waikato, Bay of Plenty or Coromandel areas.

- NZPA