The son of a man beaten unconscious by multiple attackers at the family's Te Puna home in 2012 has described how he saw his father being brutally attacked before handing his phone to his wife so he could 'go and fight”.

The four accused of the armed attack on a Te Puna household on November 23, 2012 today begin their trial at Tauranga District Court.

Giving evidence today, son Brett Duncan described coming to his dad Andrew's aid on the front lawn armed with two 750mm beer bottles.

The attackers, he says, were armed with a spade, a bat, and a length of pipe, and were striking his father in the face and on the body, in an unprovoked attack.

'They were all striking him,” says Brett.

On trial for the attack is Jack Simon Ake, 52, Rihari Jarrod Borell, 28, Jasmine Hira Borrell, 25, and Derek Michael Drewery, 27.

The Crown claims the defendants first drove up to the Te Puna Road property about 11pm asking for someone who nobody at the address knew.

The person in the front passenger seat jumped out and began punching one of those present. The passenger was restrained by people on site, then a woman from the back seat jumped out and started punching.

The alleged attackers then left the property, but promised to return.

Fifteen minutes later they did so, accompanied by another carload of mostly young men armed with garden tools, a bat and lengths of pipe.

The group then unleashed 'violent terror”.

The jury heard how the attackers began smashing the windows and panels of the vehicles on the driveway.

When father Andrew Duncan went outside to shout at them, he was attacked.

The fighting was stopped when Brett's brother Kevin, who was 21 years old at the time, began firing warning shots into the air.

Seven shots were fired with a shotgun before the attackers left the property. Four people were taken to Tauranga Hospital by St John Ambulance following the attack.

At the trial starting today, Ake is charged with injuring with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Jasmine Borrell is facing one count each of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, injuring with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, assault with intent to injure, assault with a weapon, common assault and possession with an offensive weapon.

Rihari Borrell is charged with two counts of injuring with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and two counts of assault with a weapon.

Drewery is facing one count each of injuring with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and common assault.

Judge Christopher Harding is overseeing the trial by jury, which is expected to finish on Thursday.