A woman in her 60s is in a serious condition in Waikato Hospital following an attack by a pack of dogs near Tairua on Tuesday.

Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust Doctor Anil Joshi confirmed five dogs attacked the woman.

Dr Joshi says the woman received multiple injuries, as he worked alongside his crew, Hato Hone St John and Fire and Emergency New Zealand staff to treat her.

He confirmed her injuries were serious.

“I think it’s another opportunity to recognise the nature of dog attacks and how they can be dangerous.”

“It is just a shame that this sort of thing happens; if it was a child, it would have been more dangerous.”

Dr Joshi praised emergency services for a collaborative approach during the incident.

The trust was contacted at about 8am to assist the woman who suffered injuries from a dog attack, Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust staff say.

She was flown to Waikato Hospital in a serious condition.

It was confirmed the helicopter landed in Tairua about 8.36am and arrived at Waikato Hospital about 10.11am.

A spokesperson for Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust say the delay in getting the patient to hospital was because the patient needed to be treated and stabilised on the ground prior to transport.

It was confirmed Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) were also in attendance.

Hato Hone St John confirmed it was notified of the incident at Pukepoto at about 7.49am, and responded with one ambulance, and one first response unit.

Police confirmed they were notified of an incident involving a dog on Main Rd at 9.03am.

“We have since spoken with the victim and are referring this incident to the Thames-Coromandel District Council.”

A spokesperson for Thames-Coromandel District Council says it was investigating.

“Our thoughts are with the woman injured in Tairua this morning and her family.

“We wish her a speedy and thorough recovery; we’re investigating what happened but until it’s complete, we can’t say anything more about the incident.”

Waikato Herlad