A man set himself on fire outside Parliament in Wellington on Thursday afternoon, and is in a critical condition in Wellington Hospital.

The forecourt and front lawn of Parliament has been declared a crime scene by Police.

Senior sergeant Glen Turner said the incident was "highly unusual and extremely unfortunate".

Footage shows the man being rushed into an ambulance and treated at the scene, however Newshub has chosen not to publish this.

Police are collecting evidence at the scene to establish what occurred and what the man's motives were. His identity has not been established, nor what his movements were before the incident.

A foreign reporter who witnessed the incident described seeing the man on fire on the lawn.

"We didn't know it was a person to begin with," she told Fairfax.

"We were yelling for help ... a man came over with his jacket and tried to beat the flame out."

Multiple signs with writing on them could be seen lying on the ground near a patch of scorched grass on the lawn.



The area around the burnt grass has been cordoned off with cones and barricades, and the gates of Parliament are closed.