A shooting has taken place in Auckland's CBD, leaving two civilians dead. Here's what we know.

One of New Zealand's most populous cities this morning has gone into lockdown in the CBD, following a shooting.

Two civilians were killed and six are injured after an Auckland CBD shooting described by New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins as a "very grim morning".

The incident began on Thursday morning outside a building on Queen Street – Auckland's main thoroughfare – about 7:20am, when locals reported hearing gunfire.

The incident unfolded at a construction site, where the 24-year-old gunman who worked at the building, arrived there with a pump-action shotgun. Colleagues thought he was conducting a prank until he opened fire.

Watch media reports following the Auckland shooting. Post continues below.

Police say the gunman "moved through the building site and continued to discharge his firearm".

"Upon reaching the upper levels of the building, the male contained himself within the elevator shaft," the police statement read. "Further shots were fired from the male and he was located deceased a short time later."

It is believed the gunman died from a self-inflicted gun wound. The NZ Herald has reported the gunman was serving a community-based sentence of home detention for family violence offences. He was wearing an electronic ankle bracelet, but such sentences in New Zealand can allow offenders to continue working.

It remains unclear if the attacker had a licence for the firearm.

St John Ambulance confirmed six injuries – three serious and three moderate – in addition to the two deaths of civilians. It's been confirmed police are among the injured in the attack, the shooting being treated as an isolated incident, not a national security threat. 

Local television outlets broadcast footage of workers on the roof of the building hiding behind packs of pre-mix cement, trying to keep away from the gunman.

Dozens of police vehicles, a helicopter and several ambulances scrambled to attend the site.

The Mayor of Auckland, Wayne Brown, urged locals to stay indoors, tweeting: "This is a scary situation for Aucklanders on their Thursday morning commute to work. Please stay at home, avoid travel into the city centre."

Prime Minister Hipkins said he had "deep sorrow" for the two victims. He also said it was too early to confirm who the victims of the shooting were and if they were construction workers.

"I want to thank the brave men and women of the New Zealand police who ran into the gunfire, straight into harm's way in order to save the lives of others," he said. "These kinds of situations move fast and the actions of those who risked their lives are nothing short of heroic."

Hipkins has said there will be no change to the country's terror settings, and there was not believed to be a political or ideological motivation.

#BREAKING #NewZealand #auckland Multiple people have been killed in Auckland, New Zealand mass shooting. Rifle shots in background! pic.twitter.com/EDPVA7vOh3

— National Independent (@NationalIndNews) July 19, 2023

Police in New Zealand's Auckland cordoned off parts of the city as they responded to a fatal shooting in the city center. Authorities said at least two people were killed and multiple people injured in the shooting at a construction site https://t.co/pVsMnzBsDK pic.twitter.com/ZLgSH8gsuW

— Reuters (@Reuters) July 19, 2023

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has confirmed three people are dead, including the gunman, after a shooting in Auckland's CBD. The city is due to host the Women's FIFA World Cup this evening, with the event set to go ahead as planned.
Read more: https://t.co/Bnkf8yDS7B pic.twitter.com/IhFyLf0EMJ

— SBS News (@SBSNews) July 19, 2023

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is to visit Wellington next week, offered condolences to Hipkins and to New Zealand.

It comes as the first day of the Women's World Cup is underway, with NZ set to play Norway in the tournament's opening match at Eden Park, five kilometres south of where the shooting took place. 

Norway's team captain Maren Mjelde said teammates were awakened by a helicopter hovering outside the hotel.

"We felt safe the whole time," she said. "FIFA has a good security system at the hotel, and we have our own security officer in the squad. Everyone seems calm and we are preparing as normal for the game tonight."

Hipkins said after government conversations with FIFA officials, there would be no change to the tournament schedule. Norway are staying at a hotel in close proximity to the shooting site. The FIFA Fan Festival is also nearby.

One Newshub reporter told ABC Radio Adelaide she was out the front of the building during the incident.

"We were heading to the FIFA Women's World Cup fan zone ... we were about to do a fun live cross playing football when I got a call from a producer," she said. "So I ran out and there were all these construction workers outside. I kid you not within two, three minutes police cars were swarming the area. Two minutes later a police officer came out with two or three other police officers with blood coming down his front."

The Associated Press has confirmed security will now be heightened at tonight's opening Women's World Cup game. Police are still working out exactly what occurred during the shooting, with investigations expected to take days.

More to come. With AAP.

Feature Image: Getty.