A mum has been praised for her quick actions getting her toddler into a shower after he was doused in boiling hot coffee on Christmas day.
The woman, who does not want to be identified, kept her 17-month-old boy in the shower for 20 minutes until paramedics arrived at their home at Alfredton, north of Masterton, to fly him to hospital.
"I'm a nurse so I knew exactly what to do and I knew it was extremely serious because it was boiling hot water, no milk. He just needed to go under water instantly. That's what I did, I just grabbed him and ran."
The mum had been making cups of tea and coffee when she was distracted by another child who was trying to get into a Christmas present.
It took only a moment for her son to appear while her back was turned.