Hoax threat wave leaves schools stressed and on edge

Ongoing hoax threats are disrupting more than classroom time, putting increasing strain on schools and staff and, in some cases, triggering difficult memories of past emergencies.

Christchurch Girls’ High School was placed into lockdown for about an hour on Tuesday after receiving a “threatening email”.

The school said alternative arrangements were made where appropriate for scheduled internal assessments and planned activities.

It said students and staff were briefed after the lockdown was lifted, with counselling available for students and employee assistance services in place for staff if required.

The Ara Institute of Canterbury evacuated its campuses in Timaru and Christchurch after receiving a bomb threat a short time after Christchurch Girls’.

In Auckland, Whangaparāoa School asked parents to pick up students on the same day after a similar email, while council buildings were evacuated in Tauranga and Rotorua.

This week’s events come less than a month after facilities including Unitec Institute of Technology and Otago Polytechnic were evacuated following a wave of threatening emails.

PPTA president Chris Abercrombie said the widespread threats are having a significant impact on schools.

“You have to treat every single one as a serious threat, so you have to evacuate the school or lock down the school, and that just creates so much stress and uncertainty that’s so unnecessary.”

He said teachers and students want to be in school and learning, but the disruptions create stress and distraction.

Abercrombie said there will be some loss of learning, although schools work hard to make up for missed time.

But he said the impact can extend beyond lost classroom time, as some Christchurch schools affected were also locked down during the 2019 mosque attacks.

“So this triggers those memories and those events.”

“It’s a real concern for those young people in those schools and those teachers who have been through serious lockdowns and hoping it’s a hoax but worrying it’s a serious threat.

”Other institutions, including the University of Auckland, said they have been regularly receiving violent emails.
The university said it is working closely with police and, while the threats are considered not credible, acknowledged the emails are still upsetting for those who receive them.

“Steps are being taken to counter these threats, including intercepting emails from known email addresses.

However, experience in recent weeks is that the perpetrators are using different sending addresses, meaning some threatening emails might still get through,” it said.

Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin said police believed the threats to be low risk.

“The Cybercrime team, supported by staff in other police districts, have initiated an investigation and are working to determine the source of the emails.

He told the Herald’s Ryan Bridge TODAY it’s possible the emails came from overseas - which brings challenges - but finding out the origin is the first step.

The Ministry of Education said police lead the response, assessing credibility and advising schools on actions such as lockdowns or evacuations.

Deputy Secretary Education Services Geoff Short said the Ministry’s role is to support schools rather than assess or verify threats.

He said schools are encouraged to follow their emergency management plans and directions from police or emergency services, which are designed to help staff make quick decisions in fast-moving situations.

“We understand that in fast-moving situations, schools may look for clear direction,” Short said.

He said incidents like this are disruptive and concerning, but schools are supported through established emergency procedures.

“Our priority is to make sure schools feel supported, well-prepared, and confident to act, so they can keep students and staff safe.”

Abercrombie said schools have practised for these situations and are well supported, but hoped the pattern of threats would come to an end.

“It’s pretty disgusting behaviour.”

An Invercargill teenager was arrested in May as part of an investigation into bomb threats sent to educational and public sites across the country and charged with two counts of threatening to kill or do grievous bodily harm.

Jaime Cunningham is a Christchurch-based reporter with a focus on education and general news. She joined Newstalk ZB in 2023 after working as a sports reporter at the Christchurch Star.