A south Auckland jewellery store worker fended off armed attackers with a ceremonial sword after they broke into the shop on Sunday evening.
Security camera footage showed several masked attackers breaking through the metal doors of Pooja Jewellers on Kolmar Road in Papatoetoe, close to where three children were sitting.
When the store's owner confronted the intruders they hit him multiple times on the head with a hammer and also attacked him with a knife, said Dairy and Business Owners Group chairperson Sunny Kaushal.
After the owner fell to the ground, another man rushed forward from the back of the store holding a long ceremonial sword, which he brandished at the intruders.
They are seen in the video leaving the store soon after, taking trays of jewellery.
Police confirmed one person in the store was seriously injured.
Kaushal, who is supporting the family that runs the store, told Newshub the owner had a fractured skull and would be undergoing surgery today.
He said the owner was a community-oriented person who had been part of a crime prevention group working to improve safety for business owners.
Police were continuing to hunt for the offender and said anyone with information should contact them on 105 and use the reference event number P059142364.
