Woman hostage held at knifepoint

Armed police take a man into custody after a hostage drama in Grey Lynn last night. Picture / Dean Purcell

A woman was bound and gagged and held at knifepoint by a man during a hostage drama in the Auckland suburb of Grey Lynn last night.

Police negotiated the woman's release but the man would not leave the Tutanekai St property.

Witnesses Sophie Keyse and Olivia Lynch said the man was asking police for "five minutes with the mother of my child", adding he would not hurt anyone and was "a man of honour".

Police closed the street just after 6.30pm and called in the armed offenders squad.

"We were sitting outside and a policewoman who was crouched low with a gun told us to go inside and leave the gate open for the police, telling us there was a guy next door with his girlfriend hostage with a knife to her throat," said Miss Keyse.

Acting Senior Sergeant Peter Raynes said police were called by a member of the public and found a woman "bound and gagged" in a garage.

A man aged in his 30s had a kitchen knife.

Mr Raynes said police negotiated the release of the woman and she was checked by ambulance staff before leaving in a police car.

Miss Keys and Miss Lynch, students, said police used a loud hailer to talk to the man.

He was asked to "calmly come outside with his hands up and no harm will come to you", they said.

They described "a lot of horrifying screaming" when police dogs were used to apprehend the man.

* A 33-year-old man will appear in Auckland District Court today facing several charges relating to what police called a domestic incident.