Police are on the hunt for a suspect following a large operation at a west Auckland mall - with shoppers evacuated and claims of shots being fired

Officers were called to Batkin Road in New Windsor where a person had reportedly been robbed and threatened with a firearm by two men.

They say the pair fled in the victim's vehicle and were tracked by helicopter to Lynnmall on Great North Road, entering on foot.

Armed officers subsequently blockaded entrances and exits at the complex as a precaution,

One suspect was eventually arrested and a firearm recovered; the second suspect has yet to be found.

A video supplied to our newsroom shows moviegoers in the mall's cinemas being evacuated while multiple officers swept the toilets.

Eyewitnesses reported hearing gunshots; Police say no shots were fired.