Police are responding to reports of an armed gunman holding staff hostage at the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) office on Queen Street in Papakura.
Police received a report of the unfolding incident at 9 am.
When teaomaori.news arrived, roller doors to the building's entrance were closed and people with appointments were being told there was an incident inside, and they would not be allowed in.
Three police vehicles attended the scene.
One person on the scene told teaomaori.news he heard about the incident from his daughter: "Pretty scary really, people who end up here are down on their luck".
Update 11:37 am
MSD has confirmed the incident with regional commissioner Mark Goldsmith telling Whakaata Māori 'Our Papakura Work & Income office was locked down for a short time this morning, following a threat".
The office is now "operating as usual", Goldsmith said.
"Safety and security of people, including our staff, is our No. 1 priority.
"We have zero tolerance for aggression or abuse toward our staff, contractors and the public we serve," Goldsmith said.
Police say the incident was resolved at 10am and, while no firearm was found, investigations are continuing.
"While initial reports suggested a firearm was present, no firearm or similar weapon has been located," they said in a statement.
Police said there were no injuries as a result of the incident.