Police say it's 'only a matter of time' before someone is seriously injured or killed following a spate of gang-related shootings across Auckland.

No arrests have been made after seven shootings were reported in a single night of chaos.

Superintendent Jill Rogers confirmed that police believe the shootings involved the Tribesmen and the Killer Beez, and said they are understood to be linked to others earlier in the week.

She also confirmed that a district-wide order was made last night for all officers in Auckland to be armed.

Five of the addresses that were subject to shootings overnight have in the past had links to gangs, but two of the addresses had no links at all currently to gangs.

"Today we know there have been 12 offences in Counties Manukau alone since Sunday."

These were just incidents that were reported and Rogers urged the public to report all incidents.

She believed that a number of the weapons used were high power rifles, which carry an "enormous" risk to the community.

"These are family homes with children."

Auckland investigators were working with officers in Northland to determine if there were links between the two areas and the incidents.

In the coming days, communities of the areas impacted would notice a high police presence.

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A person staying next to a block of Auckland units where a late night shooting took place described hearing loud voices before two gunshots rang out.

Cody Alexander was staying at her sister's house right next door to the large block of flats on Segar Ave in Mt Albert where she says two shots were fired around 1am.

She said a man was yelling at one of the occupants of the apartments and she believed he was a gang member.

"They were talking about crack or something,"

"It was scary enough for my sister to come and check on me. It made all the animals [in her house] start barking." Alexander said.

"It's a good thing I don't live in Auckland.

Alexander said there had been other incidents at the newly built block of flats which she believes are used as emergency housing.

Across the road is Manawanui Hospital which includes a "psychiatric institution" she said.

Alexander said the police had left by the time she woke at 7am.

No sign of the altercation could be seen on the quiet Mt Albert street this morning at 10am.

A police cordon outside a property in Te Atatū South, West Auckland, after a firearms incident last night. Photo / Hayden Woodward

In Te Atatu South, a resident on Marie Crescent said they heard what they thought was fireworks at 9:20pm and didn't realise a shooting had also occurred near them, until police flooded the street about an hour later.

"Because it was so quiet after that I just didn't even (realise there'd been a shooting). Until I saw everything closed off here and police with firearms in the street.

"We just thought it was fireworks. It's scary."

The resident said they did not hear any discussion before the shooting and was anxious for further detail.

"I'm just waiting to hear some more really."

A sole police car and an officer entering homes could be seen on Marie Crescent this morning.

"It's quite shocking," the Te Atatu resident said.

"You don't expect anything like this in our quiet street."

A man with a large tattoo across the side of his face arrived at the Marie Crescent property shortly before 11am and confirmed he lived there.

He and another man pulled up in a hatchback car and eventually had conversations with a police officer still at the site of the shooting.

The facial tattoo was of a skeletal hand with the middle finger raised - a common gang tattoo.

A shot out window at a house in Te Atatu South where one of the shootings occurred overnight. Photo / Tom Dillane

There were seven shootings in Auckland overnight.

Five incidents were reported by late last night in Papatoetoe, Ōtara, Flat Bush, Papakura and Te Atatū.

The shootings happened between about 6.40pm and 9.20pm.

Two further suburbs have been added to the list early this morning after reports of shots fired on a street in Mt Albert and at Rathgar Rd in Henderson, West Auckland.

Counties Manukau Detective Inspector Warrick Adkin said the offenders' reckless actions have shown "blatant disrespect" for the safety of communities.

He said police are disgusted by the callous behaviour of gun-toting criminals, saying it's extremely fortunate no one has been hurt.

A police car outside a driveway on Rathgar Rd in Henderson, West Auckland, last night. Photo / Hayden Woodward

"We want to reassure the community that we are treating these incidents very seriously and police staff are on the ground providing reassurance at each location.

"It is extremely fortunate that no one has been harmed in these incidents and we know the community will be as disgusted as we are by this callous behaviour."

Inquiries into the incidents are ongoing and police are working to identify the specific circumstance and whether the shootings were linked.

"We ask people to call Police immediately on 111 if they hear or see anything concerning in their neighbourhood," said Adkin.

"The community's information is crucial to our ongoing investigations and we encourage anyone who has information that may assist in our inquiries, to anonymously provide information through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111."