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Kawerau's mayor Malcolm Campbell says the gunpoint robbery of staff refilling an ATM is a "wake-up call" for the authorities and locals.
It comes as police are reassuring the community they are "working hard" to locate the person and continue to appeal for information.
The aggravated robbery at the ATM on Onslow St was reported to police at about 8.45am on Tuesday.
The security staff had left their security van when a gun-wielding man confronted them and stole an unspecified quantity of cash.
The man left in a maroon-coloured Nissan Maxima which has since been located.
Campbell said it was a worry the offender had not been found and believed the incident could have had "devastating" consequences for the community if shots had been fired.
The maroon-coloured Nissan Maxima vehicle has been located. Photo / NZ Police
"What's concerning to me is there is somebody walking around with a bloody shotgun in their hand," he said.
"Should anybody have made the wrong move or mistake - there could have been real consequences."
He described the incident as a "wake-up call" for authorities and locals to stay alert and report dangerous behaviour.
"We as a community need to step up and take some responsibility - if people saw stuff, they need to let the police know and help them do their job."
Campbell, whose butchery was ram raided in October last year, said it was a "whole different ballgame" the thief was armed in this attack.
"When people know there are firearms involved this is a whole different dynamic. We are not talking about people with baseball bats, knives or whatever. We are talking about firearms."
Campbell said the act of pulling a gun out during the robbery was "quite brazen" and understood a "substantial amount of cash" was taken.
Kawerau mayor Malcolm Campbell in 2014. Photo / Alan Gibson
In a statement, Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Wilson said he understood an incident like this was "very unsettling and concerning" for the community.
Police still wanted to hear from anyone who saw the vehicle before the incident, he said.
"Police are continuing to investigate an aggravated robbery of a Kawerau ATM near a supermarket that took place yesterday morning."
He reassured Kawerau residents they were "working hard" to identify and locate the person responsible.
"We continue to ask for anyone with information which could assist our enquiries - including dashcam footage - to get in touch via 105 and quote event number P051814857."
