A woman has died after being pulled from the water at Taipa Beach in the Far North this evening.
A police spokeswoman said it was not known if the woman had drowned or suffered a medical problem in the incident 30 kilometres north-east of Kaitaia just after 5pm.
"Family members pulled her back onto the beach and ambulance [staff] did CPR but she died at the scene."
Z Taipa staff member Levi Durrant said the local school bus driver came into the service station to borrow their automated external defibrillator to help the woman before an ambulance arrived.
"[The school bus driver] said she was having a swim and she had an epileptic fit in the water."