Toddler reunited with mum, dad still on the run

A 15-month-old girl at the centre of a police search has been safely reunited with her mother in Palmerston North, but police are still seeking the toddler's father who took her.

Raymond Kenny Anderson, 24, has not been seen since handing her over to extended family members in Te Kuiti on Friday afternoon.

The girl has since been returned to her mother who was "obviously very relieved", police said.

Mr Anderson took the child without the permission of his ex-partner and was last seen on Wednesday afternoon.

While no formal custody orders were in place, the child's mother was the primary caregiver, and the girl was taken without the woman's permission, said Detective Sergeant Dave Clifford, of Palmerston North police.

They now want to speak to Mr Anderson about the circumstances surrounding the taking of the toddler.

They believe he is in the upper North Island, travelling in his ex-partner's car, a blue 1995 Mazda 626 Sedan GLXE, registration TH1216.

He is described as a 24-year-old Maori of solid build and 1.86m tall. He is wearing a black hoodie with gold pictures on it.

Mr Clifford would not comment on what charges he was likely to face regarding the incident but said he was not wanted on any other matters.

- NZPA