MELBOURNE, June 20 — A 24-year-old man has been arrested and charged in New Zealand for murdering a police officer, and police said today they are hunting for a woman on charges of aiding the man.

The police officer, named today as 28-year-old Matthew Hunt, was the first policeman killed in the line of duty in at least a decade in New Zealand, where gun crime remains relatively rare.

He and another officer were shot during a routine traffic stop in a suburb of Auckland.

The charged man, who cannot be named due to suppression orders, is due to appear in court today.

"The investigation into this incident is ongoing and police are not able to rule out the possibility of further persons being charged,” police said in a statement.

The second officer who was shot and a member of the public who was injured in the incident are in stable condition in hospital, police said. — Reuters