Wellington  - New Zealand police said Friday they did not know whether one of their men shot dead an innocent driver, or if he was the victim of a gunman who had led them on a 40-minute chase through Auckland suburbs at up to 160 kilometres an hour.

Another motorist was shot and injured in the drama that ended on a city motorway when the gunman crashed and tried to hijack another vehicle to escape pursuing police.

"This is an absolute tragedy for the family of the dead man and, for that matter, the numerous members of public and police who were drawn into it," Superintendent George Fraser told a news conference.

He said several shots had been fired before police overpowered the man armed with a .22-calibre sawn-off rifle who sparked the chase through the country's largest city which Radio New Zealand reported involved 16 police cars and a helicopter.

The injured man, who was driving a light truck, was taken to hospital. (dpa)