The police in Tauranga are searching for a woman who tried to hold up a superette with a knife.
The woman entered the shop in the suburb of Arataki at about 3pm on Saturday, brandishing the weapon and demanding money.
The shop attendant activated a panic alarm and the offender ran off empty-handed.
The police say the woman is Maori, aged between 17 and 25, and was wearing a purple top, black pants and blue shoes.
She had a blue scarf with white dots on her head, and was last seen running down Omanu Way into Maranui Street.
