KEY POINTS:
The parents of the exchange student shot in the head while rabbit hunting in the Waikato have described him as a fun-loving man who lives for sport and farming.
Waikato Hospital today named the student as 21-year-old Mathew John Purchase of Wimborne, in Dorset, England.
Mr Purchase is in a critical condition after being shot on Saturday and is expected to undergo brain surgery on Thursday.
The shooting took place on a farm at Waotu, 10km south-west of Putaruru.
Mr Purchase's parents, Ian and Helen, are maintaining a vigil at his bedside after arriving from England yesterday afternoon.
The couple left Britain just hours after police told them of Matthew's accident and arrived with only the clothes they wore on the plane.
They said their son had been working on a South Waikato dairy farm on an agricultural exchange with Agri Venture NZ since October and planned on doing some travelling before returning to the UK later next year.
"He loved everything to do with farming and was really enjoying his time in New Zealand," Mr Purchase said.
"He's very fun-loving - he lives for his sport. He loves skiing, rowing anything really."
Mr Purchase said his son had a lot of experience with guns and was a keen hunter.
Waikato Police yesterday said they were still "painting a picture" of what happened when Mr Purchase was shot.
Detective Sergeant Kevan Verry said the six other people involved were co-operating fully with police.
The group were in a utility vehicle, hunting and shooting rabbits under spotlights, when the tragedy happened about 11pm.
Because there was no cellphone coverage, the injured man was driven to a house on the farm, about 10 minutes away.
Mr Verry said two scene examinations were under way. He would not speculate on whether charges were likely. "It really is a tragic accident, it happened in an area where everyone knows everyone."
The Herald understands the shooting happened on the farm of Mark Bernhard and Carol Dryburgh-Bernhard.
Contacted last night, a woman at the address said she had been advised not to make any comment "at this stage", adding that a statement would be made some time today.
It is further understood that property owners had agreed to the group entering the farm for the purpose of hunting.
- NZHERALD STAFF
