WELLINGTON - A NEW Zealand woman had emergency surgery after being hit in the face by an arrow fired from a neighbour's crossbow, police said on Friday.

The woman, 42, from suburban Auckland, had a severe head injury after a neighbour fired the loaded weapon on Thursday afternoon from a distance of about 30m, said police official Stan Brown.

The woman was watering a plant on the verandah of her home when she was hit.

She was found with a 40cm arrow partially embedded in the front of her skull, just above the right eye, he said.

The woman had emergency eye surgery and was in stable condition on Friday.

Police are investigating and trying to determine whether criminal charges are warranted, according to Detective Brown. -- AP