Lifeguards have rescued four young men near Auckland's Bethells Beach after they ran into trouble in the water.
One of the men had been critically injured and was airlifted to Auckland Hospital.
Emergency services were first alerted to the incident at around 5.40pm earlier today.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Surf Life Saving New Zealand said St John dispatchers alerted them to multiple people "in distress" at the rural Auckland beach.
Three people were first retrieved from the water, according to police.
"They were assessed by ambulance and transported to Waitakere Hospital, each in a condition that is not believed to be life-threatening," police said.
"A fourth man remained outstanding in the water before being located by the Westpac helicopter and retrieved".
The person was brought ashore, where surf lifeguards "immediately initiated CPR", Surf Life Saving said. They said the man was found "unconscious and unresponsive."
"The Westpac Rescue Helicopter soon arrived and airlifted the patient from the beach."
The man was brought to Auckland City Hospital in a critical condition, police said. Two others had minor injuries, whilst one other had moderate injuries, according to St John.
Bethells Beach is a coastal community in rural Auckland, around 40km westwards from central Auckland. It's a popular holiday destination during the summer.
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