Kawerau siege: Police officer discharged from hospital

A police officer shot in the hand during a 22-hour stand-off in the Bay of Plenty on Wednesday has been discharged from hospital.

Four officers were shot during the incident at Onepu Spring Rd, all of whom have name suppression.

An officer who suffered a head injury remains in Waikato Hospital in a stable condition.

Police said on behalf of the injured officers they would like to thank the community in the Bay of Plenty and beyond for their messages of support and concern for the officers' wellbeing.

Four officers were shot during the incident at Onepu Springs Road, all of whom have name suppression. Photo / Alan Gibson

The incident began on Wednesday morning when a police plane was shot at while searching for cannabis crops in Kawerau.

What followed was a tense 22 hours between police and the single gunman, with a full roadblock in place on rural Onepu Spring Rd, north of Kawerau.

The incident was eventually brought to a safe conclusion following negotiations between the gunman and police officer Warwick Morehu.

Police said they were working to lift the cordons at Onepu Spring Rd as soon as possible.

"We would like to thank nearby residents for their patience while the detailed scene examination is carried out, which requires the road to remain closed at this time."

The man alleged to be at the centre of the incident appeared in the Rotorua District Court yesterday.

Rhys Richard Ngahiwi Warren, 27, of Coastlands, was remanded in custody without plea on four charges of using a firearm against four different police officers on March 9.

The charges have a maximum penalty of 14 years' prison.