Parents collecting children from a Kerikeri school have been warned not to park or socialise in a pick-up area following an accident in which a 4-year-old child was hit by a car.
The child was struck about 3pm last Wednesday in a pick-up bay at Kerikeri Primary School with police saying one car had rear-ended another, shunting it forward just as the child was walking between cars.
The child was checked by St John medics but found to be uninjured. Police are investigating the accident and have also issued a warning about misuse of the pick-up area, saying some parents are contributing to congestion and the risk of injury.
The officer in charge of the Bay of Islands delivered a letter to the school on Monday for inclusion in the next newsletter, instructing parents to use the drop-off zone as intended.
"It appears that some parents are not abiding by the directions of the school and using this area as a place to gather and socialise with other parents, parking in the pick-up bay and even blocking it in doing so," he wrote.