KEY POINTS:
The British-based parents of the man shot in the head while out rabbit hunting in the Waikato have arrived in New Zealand with nothing but their clothes on their backs.
Ian and Helen Purchase, of Wimborne in Dorset, are now at the bedside of their 21-year-old son Matthew, whose condition in Waikato Hospital's intensive care unit is still listed as critical.
Matthew was out rabbit hunting in the Waikato with six others late on Saturday night when a gun went off in the ute he was sitting in, sending a bullet into his head.
His parents were contacted in Britain a short time after the accident and had no time to pack their bags before boarding a flight to New Zealand.
Mr and Mrs Purchase left Matthew's older brother, 23, and younger sister, 19, back in the UK, but it is understood the siblings are also keen to make the journey to New Zealand to be at their sibling's bedside.
Matthew, who has been in New Zealand on a student exchange since October, will undergo brain surgery tomorrow.
A woman at the Puketurua farm, west of Putaruru, where the shooting took place said the community was rallying around in support of the Purchase family. The area was devastated by the accident and was reaching out to one another, she said.
Clothes and accommodation were being arranged for Matthew's parents.
A Brisbane-based couple who are close friends of the Purchase family, Kate and Paul Norrish, have also flown to New Zealand to offer their support.
Mr and Mrs Purchase, who farm around 200ha near Wimborne, said their son had recently graduated from Reading University with a rural resource management degree.
He was on an agricultural exchange to New Zealand with Agri Venture NZ and was expected to stay working in the South Waikato until April.
His parents said Matthew lived for sport and farming.
"Physically he's very strong," Mr Purchase said. "He loved everything to do with farming and was really enjoying his time in New Zealand.
"He's really fun-loving, he lives for his sport. He loves skiing, rowing, anything really."
Matthew was experienced in handling guns and was a keen hunter.
