Heke eventually stopped on Kuranui Rd on the outskirts of the town, and the police officer - concerned about Heke's driving - pulled up 70 metres away.
Heke stepped out of his car with a military-style, semi-automatic gun as his passengers, a man and woman, fled for safety.
"Officer A was unarmed and had no immediate access to firearms. He quickly put his vehicle into reverse and drove backwards for approximately 10m until he noted a tanker track on his left."
The officer, who has name suppression, drove up the track as Heke began shooting at him.
During a later scene examination, two shell cases were found on the road near where Heke had been standing.
When the constable saw two "muzzle flashes" from the AK47-style rifle he lay down in the patrol car so he could see over the dashboard, in an attempt to avoid being shot.
One bullet came through the rear door, behind the driver's seat and into the front passenger seat, passing through a backpack on the floor and becoming lodged in the car's pillar.
The constable accelerated 200m up the track, stopping by a farm building and getting out to make a call on his phone.
He had already reported the defendant's car to police communications and saw the red and blue lights of another police car responding to the incident from the opposite direction.
The two officers in the second patrol car stopped 20m from the front of the red Holden, parking on the opposite side of the road, and immediately came under fire from Heke.
The pair returned fire, having previously readied their Glock 17 pistols, but with Heke positioned at the rear of his vehicle he forced the officers into the footwell of their car.
"It quickly became apparent to them that the defendant was in possession of a high-powered military-style weapon and they abandoned their patrol vehicle on foot, heading back along Kuranui Rd and onto Avenue Road South while still under fire."
Seven rounds struck the car and two bullets entered the interior as the pair fled for their lives. A further three rounds shot from the rear of the car struck the rear driver's side door and roof.
The three officers and two passengers were not injured in the gunfight. Heke was also uninjured.
At the time of the incident, Heke was wanted by police for absconding before he could be sentenced in October 2016 for leading a methamphetamine-importing ring while in Rimutaka Prison.
Heke had been given electronically monitored bail but cut off his bracelet in September that year and had been at large for 11 months.
Labelled a "rural Rambo", Heke went on the run again after the shoot-out, sparking a massive two-week manhunt across the North Island.
At the same time armed police surrounded a Morrinsville house and called for Heke to come out, firing teargas into the property. But despite a search of the house and a neighbouring property, there was no sign of the offender.
On August 25 last year Heke was found and arrested at an address in Kaingaroa Forest township.
Heke, who appeared via video link at the High Court today, was remanded in custody until August 3, though sentencing would likely be delayed by reports that needed preparing.
