Four schools and a preschool in west Auckland in lockdown, armed police respond

• Four schools and a kindergarten in Te Atatū, west Auckland, are in lockdown at lunchtime on Thursday.
• Rutherford College, two primary schools – Rutherford Primary next door and Matipo School 2km away – and Te Atatū Intermediate and Te Atatū Kindergarten 1km away are locked down.
• Armed police have been seen outside the high school.
• Earlier on Thursday, a high school and a preschool in Alfriston were locked down briefly.

Four schools and a preschool in West Auckland have entered lockdown after a “verbal threat” was made on Thursday morning.

Police said they are responding to a threat made over the phone towards Rutherford College in Te Atatū Peninsula.

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“As a precaution, the school and a neighbouring childcare facility have been advised to lockdown while further inquiries are made,” a police spokesperson said.

At about 12.30pm on Thursday, two armed police officers were at the gates of Rutherford College, with a third officer directing parents.

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Rutherford College posted on its website that the school has locked down “due to an incident” in the area.

The father of a pupil at Rutherford College said there were “lots of armed police” outside the school.

Rutherford Primary and nearby Matipo School as well as Te Atatū Intermediate and Te Atatu Peninsula Kindergarten are also currently in lockdown.

Matipo’s principal Matua Jonnie​ Black said “all tamariki are safe and secure” in their classrooms.

“Please do not call or come to the school until you get an all clear”

About 10 parents had gathered near the gates of Rutherford College shortly after midday, despite the school’s advice to stay away.

In a statement on Rutherford College’s website, the school asks “people do not call or come to the school until you get an all clear”.

“All staff and students are currently safe and secure,” the school said.

One parent, who did not want to be named, said she understood police had received a call from someone saying they had a gun and were going to come to the school.

She understood police had set up an armed perimeter around the school, where her 13-year-old daughter is a student.

“I’ve tried calling the office, but they’re not picking up.

“As soon as I saw the text, I came. It’s like parent mode was activated.”

Another mother, who Stuff agreed not to name, has a 15-year-old son who goes to Rutherford College.

She had approached the police officers at the gates for more information, but had just been told the staff and students were safe.

“But they don’t know that, I don’t know that, and that’s why I’m here.

“Police have given us no indication to what the nature of the call was or the tone of it and whether it was serious.

“You expect this shit to happen in the USA, not here in New Zealand,” the mother said. She said she was particularly worried last weekend’s shooting incident in Auckland’s CBD would spark “copy-catting”.

Earlier lockdown in the Randwick Park area

Earlier on Thursday morning a preschool and a college in south Auckland went into a “brief lockdown” after reports of a man armed with a gun in the Randwick Park area.

Police said the reports have not been substantiated.

“Police have been liaising with the schools concerned to provide them with reassurance,” a police spokesperson said.

According to police, the reports have not been substantiated and the college decided to go into lockdown by itself.

An employee from Early Learning Counties Manukau Alfriston College told Stuff they were told tolockdown by police at about 10.30am.

This lockdown lasted for 15 minutes, after which time police gave them the all clear.

The employee said lockdowns happen quite often, with the kindy locking down whenever there may be a police presence in the area.

She said everything was back to normal, and the kids in preschool were all happy.