KEY POINTS:
A party near Tauranga went badly wrong for its host when he was stabbed a number of times by an uninvited guest.
Detective Sergeant Darryl Brazier of Tauranga CIB said a 22-year-old was hosting a party in Papamoa, 19km southeast of Tauranga, with six friends when an associate of one of the partygoers arrived uninvited about 10pm.
An argument erupted once the gatecrasher was asked to leave and in the ensuing fight the host was stabbed.
The victim is in a serious but stable condition at Tauranga Hospital.
The offender left the scene shortly afterwards in an early 1990s red Toyota Hilux four-wheel-drive.
Mr Brazier said police were following strong lines of inquiry.
- NZPA