New Zealand police shoot man dead after supermarket stabbing incident

Police in New Zealand have shot dead a man after he entered an Auckland supermarket and stabbed multiple people.

Local reports say four people were injured, with witnesses describing a scene of hysteria.

One witness told news outlet Stuff NZ that he saw an elderly man lying on the ground with a stab wound.

Videos online show panicked shoppers running out of the Countdown supermarket at LynnMall in New Lynn.

"Police can confirm that a man has entered a New Lynn supermarket and injured multiple people," local police said in a statement.

"Police have located the man and he has been shot. He has died at the scene. This incident is still unfolding at this time."

One witness, identified only as Tim, said it was a scene of mass hysteria with several people being attacked before the assailant was shot.

"[People were] running out, hysterically, just screaming, yelling, scared," he told Stuff NZ.