A 43-year-old man has died following an assault in Taihape's Thrush St in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Police were called to it just after midnight, and Taihape firefighters were also present.
They found a man with critical injuries. The New Zealand Herald reports he died while being taken to a nearby airbase to be airlifted to hospital.
Central District Detective Inspector Brent Matuku has named the man as Kerrin Payne. He was from Taihape, and known as "Ted".
Police extend their sympathy to Payne's whānau and friends.