Hoffman, 35, entered the guilty pleas at Rotorua District Court on Thursday.

According to the police summary of facts, Hoffman later told police he committed the offending 'because he is mentally unstable and needed help”.

'He also wanted to be arrested and ‘removed' from his personal problems. He says that by ‘causing trouble in a bank', he knew the police would come.”

The summary noted Hoffman, who is from Hamilton, decided to travel to Rotorua to commit the offences, arriving at the BNZ branch at around 3.50pm and insinuating to staff he was carrying a bomb.

He had also placed an A2 size diary in the front of his jacket to give the impression a device was strapped to his body.

A staff member was able to alert other staff to the threat, and also alert the bank internal security system.

One customer was able to escape through the front door before Hoffman directed the remaining people inside to a staff-only area on the bank.

Police had also been called.

The summary says those inside the bank complied 'believing their lives were in grave danger”.

Hoffman told them he would not let them leave until nine police cars were outside the bank, and he also asked staff to phone the police, Armed Offenders Squad and media.

'The complainants feared for their lives and continued to believe that the defendant was capable of carrying out his threat to detonate an explosive device that he had underneath his clothing,” the summary says.

Hoffman allowed a number of distressed people inside the bank to leave, including a 14-year-old, and by around 4pm there was 'a large police presence outside the bank”.

Armed police and armed offenders squad members around the BNZ bank in Amohau St, Rotorua. Photo: Benn Bathgate/Stuff.

He also began to communicate with police via phone and notes on paper he held to the window.

'These included his name, a reference to his mother being murdered, and that his life was in danger,” the summary says.

By this stage Hoffman was pacing around inside the bank, and later removed his jacket.

When police asked if he had any weapons, he lifted his shirt and spun around to show he had nothing concealed on his torso.

He was described as angry and ranting, but also telling those inside the bank 'he was sorry for what he was doing”.

'At one stage, the defendant was crying and says that it was the only way he could get help.”

Police continued to negotiate with Hoffman, who eventually agreed to surrender and left the bank.

Hoffman's lawyer Andy Schulze​ says his client was 'keen to make amends to the victims” and Judge Marie McKenzie recommended restorative justice meetings, though she noted the victims were 'under no compulsion whatsoever” to take part.

At one point Hoffman, who appeared via audiovisual link, wept.

He also asked Judge McKenzie if his sentencing date could be brought forward as he says he was 'confined to 23 hours lockdown a day” while on remand.

'The sooner I'm sentenced ma'am the sooner I can move forward and rehabilitate through this,” he says.

Hoffman is set to be sentenced on July 7.

- Benn Bathgate/Stuff.