The official police search for five-year-old Jack Dixon has been suspended 10 days after the youngster went missing at Mount Maunganui.

Jack was playing at the water's edge in a spot known as Shelly Beach when a large wave swept him and two girls out to sea on Wednesday, October 1.

Jack Dixon was swept out to sea 10 days ago.

The girls managed to clamber to a nearby rock and were brought to shore by two adults.

Sadly, Jack disappeared from view.

Search and rescue teams began immediately searching the area for the boy but no trace of him has been found.

Western Bay of Plenty Police Inspector Karl Wright-St Clair says a decision has been made to suspend the official search.

He says an extensive search on both the foreshore and the sea had failed to find any trace of Jack so far.

Karl says: 'Police have nothing but praise for the community support shown to the family and for the professionals and volunteers who had been involved in the search over the last ten days.

'The search for Jack has been a difficult one hampered by weather and sea conditions.

'The decision to suspend the search was a difficult one but had been made in consultation with the family; everyone has done everything that they could to find Jack and return him to his family.”

A fundraising page set up through the Give a Little website has raised over $42,000 for the Dixon family, who say they will give a portion of the money to surf life savers who helped search for Jack.