A woman has drowned and two children have been rescued after getting into distress in the water on Ninety Mile Beach.
A police officer was among other rescuers who rushed into the water to haul the struggling swimmers at around 3.50pm this afternoon.
The woman - who was in her early twenties - was the last to be found in the surf and it is understood she was unconscious when dragged onto the beach.
Fire service personnel and other rescuers gave her CPR for 20 minutes while waiting for an ambulance to reach the scene.
The Northland Rescue Helicopter was called to the scene when energency services were notified that four people were in trouble.
