The Victorian man shot dead while holidaying in New Zealand with his Canadian fiancee has been identified as 33-year-old Sean McKinnon, as police launch a major manhunt for his killer.
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A gunman smashed his way into the campervan Mr McKinnon was sharing with his fiancee near the popular beach town of Raglan, south of Auckland on the North Island early on Friday morning, local time.
Mr McKinnon, 33, grew up around Warrnambool in Victoria's south-west.
The couple got engaged around Christmas time in 2017, according to social media.
Mr McKinnon's 32-year-old fiancee escaped and ran several kilometres for help. The gunman took the vehicle with Mr McKinnon still inside. Police later found the stolen campervan and Mr McKinnon's body in Gordonton, near Hamilton, 80 kilometres away, sparking a major manhunt and a homicide investigation in the Waikato region.
The gunman remains at large and Waikato police announced in a press conference that they assume he is still armed.
Police said they still did not know the identity of the gunman, but were "working through a number of leads". They appealed to the public for more information.
"Inquiries indicate this is a random attack," said Detective Inspector Graham Pitkethley.
Baillie Buchanan, said she was driving from Hamilton to Waihi Beach when she came across police surrounding the abandoned camper van on Gordonton Road on Friday, about 8.50am local time (6.50am AEST).
"[I] saw heaps of police holding guns blocking off a rural road and in between was a tourist campervan that was to the side of the road.
"There was around five or six cars at the front and a few at the back. Maybe six or seven police standing but I only saw one [office] holding a gun."
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it was providing consular assistance to the family of the Australian man.
Ms Buchanan said there was still a large police presence in the area but the van had been removed.
The New Zealand Herald reported the gunman shot the man "more than once" after banging on the campervan and demanding the keys.
The site is south of the popular beach town, near the Karioi Summit Track entrance, at Te Toto Gorge.
Armed police responded to what they called a "serious incident" about 3.20am local time (1.20am AEST) on Friday, on Whaanga Road, Raglan.
About an hour later, another couple sleeping in an Apollo campervan in Raglan woke to armed police who were on the hunt for the offender involved in the man's death.
Police are appealing to members of the public for any information.
with AAP, Stuff, The Age
