A former police negotiator says police should be commended for saving the young girls taken hostage in Tauranga, but would have liked to get everyone out safely.

The police shot a man dead after he was holed up for 15 hours holding two young girls - aged four and six - hostage with a machete.

His partner managed to escape just after midnight and called 111 from a neighbour's house after being threatened with a knife.

With the help of police an 11-year-old managed to escape, but the siege went on with the two young children until after 3pm when police entered and shot the man.

Today a waiata could be heard as a hearse arrived to remove the man's body from the house in the presence of family members.

Last night, the four and six-year-old were released from hospital to whānau unharmed, the Bay of Plenty District Health Board confirmed.

Police said there was no other option but to shoot the man, and former police negotiator Lance Burdett agrees.

"The first [consideration] is 'how can we get everyone out safely?', and then we'll work back from there. They'll be trying to touch base to talk with the person, to deescalate the situation and come to a peaceful conclusion, and that's what the main aim is," Mr Burdett said.

"[Shooting people is] not something that police do indiscriminately. Police officers don't go to work to shoot people - they go to work to keep people safe.

"From the little I know about this - is it a successful outcome? Probably not, because we try to get people out as safely as possible. But looking at the whole outcome, it's the best that could be hoped as it was an intense situation."

Photo: Supplied

Police said the man was armed with a large machete, and only responded occasionally to their attempts to communicate with him.

Mr Burdett said at nearly 15 hours into the standoff, something must have happened for police to enter the house after 3pm.

"As long as they're still communicating with the person, often there's no rush. But we do come to a point where we've talked around in circles.

"But I think more so, and not knowing the intimate details of what's taken place, that something has been said or some action has been taken, which has basically forced police's hand having to do something."

The man's partner said he threatened her wife a knife, which triggered the police call and response.

Photo: Supplied

Domestic violence going unreported

White Ribbon manager Rob McCann said far often than not, domestic violence went unreported and didn't make it out into the public.

"Every day there are women and children being hurt throughout the country that no one hears about. Only approximately 20 percent of family violence is actually reported.

"There is a huge chunk of violence occurring in our communities that no one is talking about or reporting to the police. We have to change that."

Photo: RNZ

Psychologist Sara Chatwin said this event would have a significant impact on everyone involved, especially the children, and said the family should by now have support services helping them.

Ms Chatwin said children often didn't know how to process or rationalise such a serious and confusing event.

"They might be withdrawn, non-talkative, or in some cases, they're very manic. They can show the extreme ends of the continuum in terms of behaviours because they're trying desperately to make sense of a situation that just doesn't make sense."

Four investigations will take place into the incident.

There will be a criminal investigation by police, one around police policy and procedure, an Independent Police Conduct Authority report, and one from the coroner.