Photo: RNZ/Calvin Samuel
An Auckland parent says it was "devastating" to drop her children at school on Wednesday, then learn minutes later it was in lockdown.
Waiuku College was one of two schools named in an email threat sent overnight to a number of organisations, including RNZ.
Students arrived at Waiuku College on Wednesday to a heavy police presence, and the school posted on Facebook shortly before 9am advising there was a lockdown under way.
After 11am, the school posted on Facebook saying students and staff have returned to their classrooms, and parents were invited to pick up their children.
The school said it would close for the rest of the day "to allow staff and students to settle their wairua [sense of wellbeing] and prepare to return tomorrow". The school's reception will remain shut.
The post asked parents not to go on school grounds and not to approach staff, who it said have managed "incredibly well" this morning.
"We understand what some students have witnessed [armed police on site] can create upset and trauma. Our guidance team are available through teams, email and on-site tomorrow. The MOE [Ministry of Education] response team will also be on site," it said.
The front office at Waiuku College was closed on Wednesday. Photo: RNZ / Calvin Samuel
Waiuku College Principal Stuart Kelly said he was immensely proud of how students handled the lockdown.
Police officers swept the school while students spent the best part of two hours in two gyms, he said.
Additional 'calm' rooms were available for vulnerable students or those feeling excessively apprehensive about the situation, he said.
Kelly said he was aware of the nature of the threat, but based on Ministry of Education and police advice, did not share details with the wider school community.
"We were not at liberty to disclose the specific nature of the threat for fear of copycat or escalation," he said.
Kelly said the school decided to send students home for the rest of the day in the interests of "emotional and psychological safety".
"We'll catch up on the learning but it's tough to catch up on any emotional harm if you just jump run straight back into the learning."
He said it was back to business as usual tomorrow.
"[I'm] very glad that it's all over," one parent picking up their child told RNZ.
"I just want to understand what's going on, as a parent, obviously, I'm concerned," said another.
"We've just been notified we can collect the children now."
Some parents complained that the school had entered lockdown after many children had already arrived, despite the email being sent in the early hours of this morning.
One parent told RNZ it was "absolutely devastating" to drop her children at school, then learn minutes later that the school was in lockdown.
Louise, who asked for her surname not to be used, said the school could have handled the situation better.
She said she was surprised to see armed police at the gate when she dropped off her two children, who are in year 12 and year 9.
But she said they weren't turning students away.
"To be told after the fact that classes started that the school was in lockdown, despite [the fact] it has probably been in lockdown for a wee while because obviously those emails were sent at whatever time... They had plenty of time to say that the school was closed and not to bother sending your kid to school," she said.
"The school basically went dark. I had communication with the kids for a short time. They didn't know what was going on either."
She said it was a big relief to have her children home safe.
Neither her nor her children know anything further about the nature of the threat.
The parent of two students at Waiuku College, Petrida Sutton, said tensions were high as parents speculated about the limited information they had received.
"We've heard there are Armed Offenders Squad out there, and police with guns patrolling around the school," she said.
"My son walked to school this morning, he would've got there around 8:30."
Sutton said her son had been in contact, and her daughter was home sick.
"I have [heard from him], they're not meant to have phones there but I have," she said.
An earlier warning on the website. The lockdown has since ended. Photo: Supplied
Her son had told her via a text the students had been out in a field and now they were back in the classroom.
"I'm reluctant to go to work until I know what's going on, I'm grateful that my daughter's unwell and not at school today."
Asked if staff could have just turned students around at the gate and sent them home, Kelly said he could not comment.
"Our community... we really value their opinion, and they're entitled to their opinion. But what I can say in this brief aftermath time period, in consultation with the the ministry and the police, we believe we went into lockdown at the appropriate time," he said.
A police spokesperson said they made enquiries in the area concerned and were looking into the email.
They acknowledged the threat was unsettling and said reassurance patrols would be conducted.
The second Auckland school named in the email threat this morning has told parents it's confident there's no risks to students, staff or the community.
Classes have continued at Rutherford College on Te Atatū Peninsula, while Waiuku College went into lockdown.
In a message to parents on the school's app, the college's principal Gary Moore thanked the police for what he called an "incredible" response.
He said their efforts, including the use of sniffer dogs, meant the school did not need to close or go into lockdown today.
He said the school would not have hesitated had either of those actions been prudent.
"We are pleased to report that classes are continuing as usual and school is settled," he said.
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