A 17-year-old who vanished six days ago from a West Auckland mall has been found safe and well.

Whetu Bennett was last seen at LynnMall in New Lynn last Tuesday.

Police and her desperate family were concerned for her safety, with relatives saying her disappearance was out of character.

But in a statement today police said: “The 17-year-old previously reported missing from the New Lynn area has been located safe and well.”

Police were previously combing through footage at West Auckland’s LynnMall, the last place the teen was seen.

The girl’s sister said she recently moved to Auckland from the Waikato.

Whet’s aunt earlier told the Herald the girl’s partner had taken her to the mall and then “something happened”.

“Maybe they got into an argument and he left her there and took off home, and she has not been heard from or seen since.”

Bennett’s aunt said her niece didn’t have a phone, “so she had no way of contacting anyone”.

A police spokesperson said earlier they were following several lines of inquiry.

“At this point, there are a number of enquiries being made, including reviewing CCTV footage.”

Her aunt said over the weekend that Whetu’s partner contacted their mother, who is based in Morrinsville, on Thursday to tell her he hadn’t heard from her since Tuesday.

The aunt said she understood the pair may have had a disagreement and the boyfriend returned home, leaving Whetu at the mall.

More to come