Police in New Zealand have shot and killed a ram after two people were found dead in a paddock, in rural Auckland.

The bodies of a woman and a man were found at a property in Waitākere about 30 minutes from Auckland, on Thursday morning (local time).

A spokesperson for the deceased’s family told Newshub the pair were in their 80s.

The bodies were discovered by the female victim’s son, after family members failed to get in touch with her for a couple of days, Newshub reported.

“Another party at the scene suffered a minor injury after being attacked by this ram,” a New Zealand Police spokesperson said in a statement.

The spokesperson also said police were confronted by the ram in the paddock when they arrived at the scene.

“On undertaking a risk assessment, the ram was shot and died at the scene,” the spokesperson said.

Police undertook a scene examination and said they had launched an investigation.

The police spokesperson said the investigation will continue on behalf of the coroner, to figure out what happened in the paddock.

Post mortem examinations for the couple will be carried out for on Friday.