Police are looking for a man who approached a child going home from school in Timaru.
The child was spoken to by a man in a car on the corner of Victoria and Queen streets just after 3pm on Tuesday afternoon, police said.
Police said the man followed the child in his car on King Street after they ran away.
He is described as Māori and bald, aged between 25 and 40, and wearing sunglasses and a black top.
The man's car reportedly had peeling black paint.
The police would like to speak with anyone who witnessed the approach or who has any information about it.