Police now say officers fired several shots from the front seat of their patrol car when they killed a man who was threatening them in Paeroa on Friday.

Photo: RNZ

Fresh information has been revealed in a police update this evening, after a post-mortem established the 57-year-old had been shot in the torso.

The police said that when officers arrived at the rural property near Paeroa, they shot the man at short range as he approached them armed with a machete and a slasher.

Acting assistant commissioner Bruce Bird said the man collapsed from his injuries as he tried to follow police instructions, then died at the scene.

He said police fired "a number of shots" from the front seat of the patrol car.

Mr Bird said it was a fast-moving and traumatic event for those involved, including family members who were there.

There was a 14-year-old girl, a 17-year-old man and a woman in the house at the time.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority and the coroner are investigating.