KEY POINTS:
Police are looking for two men who robbed a dairy armed with pistols.
Two shopkeepers - a man and woman - were closing up when two men burst into their Johnsonville dairy at 8.45pm last night.
Detective senior sergeant Scott Miller said one of the men hit the woman on the back of the head with a pistol.
One of the men stood over the couple, pointing a gun at them, while the other filled rubbish bags with cigarettes and tobacco.
The men took cash and tied the couple up before leaving.
The robbers then headed in the direction of a carpark where Mr Miller believes they may have had a car.
The couple managed to untie themselves before going to the neighbours to call the police.
Mr Miller said the robbery could be connected to two others like it in Hamilton and another in Upper Hutt.
He said the robbers at all the robberies have had guns and some of the shop staff have been assaulted.
Mr Miller said shopkeepers need to be careful when shutting up shop and be on the lookout for people hanging around the shops looking suspicious.
Police have released a description of the two men they are looking for.
Both are Maori or Polynesian and in their 20s.
One is up to 1.7m tall, thin to medium build and was wearing a dark navy sweatshirt with a hood, grey cotton pants and black or blue sports shoes.
The other is up to 1.6m tall with black curly hair, stocky build and was wearing a dark top and cream three-quarter-length pants.
