Bomb threats spark evacuations at schools and organisations across NZ
A fresh spate of bomb threats have been received at multiple organisations across New Zealand this morning.
Educational campuses have been evacuated and parents asked to collect their children after anonymous threats were made.
Whangaparāoa School in Auckland emailed parents, saying the school had received an “anonymous bomb threat”.
“Even though we doubt the validity of the threat, we feel our role is to make sure that our children and staff are safe,” the email read.
The email asked parents and caregivers to pick up their children.
Christchurch Girls’ High School was placed into a “precautionary” lockdown shortly before 10am.
Three police cars were seen at the school.
Christchurch Girls High School went into a precautionary lockdown. Photo / Anna Heath
The lockdown had since been lifted, with an email being sent to parents and caregivers that everyone on site was “safely accounted for”.
The Ara Institute evacuated its campuses in Timaru and Christchurch after a bomb threat was received.
Concerned parents have taken to social media, saying that Fairburn School and Bairds Mainfreight Primary School had also received threats.
“Absolutely the scariest text/email to see, almost ended up in tears,” one parent wrote.
“Threat or not, can’t take things lightly when it’s our babies involved,” said another.
Another parent said they saw cars “speeding to get their kids” from school.
Police and the Ministry of Education have been approached for comment.
Teenage boy charged after nationwide online bomb threat investigation
In May, police arrested a teenager in Invercargill as part of an investigation into bomb threats sent to educational and public sites across New Zealand.
At the time, public and educational facilities around Auckland, including Unitec and the Auckland Art Gallery, were evacuated after a wave of threatening emails.
Acting on information gathered by Auckland-based detectives, Southland police searched an Invercargill residential address.
Southland area commander Mike Bowman said at the time the teenage boy was taken into custody without incident.
He was charged with two counts of threatening to kill or do grievous bodily harm.
Bowman said at the time it was unlikely the young person could have followed through on the threats.
“Regardless, threats of this nature are taken extremely seriously.”
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