The Port Hills fire in Christchurch continues to burn, Russia's opposition leader Alexei Navalny has died at 47 and the police will increase their presence on the streets this weekend following a fatal shooting
The mother of a young Marcellin College student who was hospitalised after a serious attack by around 10 to 15 teenagers from Māngere College is calling for action before another child is seriously hurt or killed.
The mum said her son was targeted as he got off the bus on Bader Drive in Māngere and chased to the carpark behind McDonald’s on Monday February 12.
“He was bottled three times in the head, there were 15 of them bashing the hell out of my son and then 30 kids laughing and screaming and filming. Shouting ‘Māngere College All Day’,” the woman said.
“It broke my heart that this happened to my son.”
Students from Māngere College allegedly attacked a Marcellin College student as he hopped off the bus on his way home. Photo / Google Maps
Police are now patrolling Māngere Town Centre after Marcellin College staff stationed themselves there this week to protect their students from further attacks, according to letters to the school community from principal Maria Prescott.
Marcellin students who normally walk or bus through Māngere Town Centre have been urged to find alternative routes home until the schools find a resolution.
The assaulted boy’s mother understood the group were waiting for the Marcellin bus to arrive.
After the assault the woman was told a boy walked up and ripped the emblem on his uniform and said “F**k Marcellin, don’t come back to this hood, this is our turf.”
The woman said the attack was a “wake-up call” for Māngere Town Centre. She wanted to see improved security and a space for youth that brought them together and gave them something positive to do.
“I’m not going to let my son’s blood in the carpark at Māngere Town Centre not mean something - we need to do better and something needs to change.”
The student from Marcellin College was allegedly smashed in the head with a bottle before being kicked and stomped on as he returned home to Māngere after school. Photo / Google Maps
The woman said the beating was terrible and said her “son’s life was saved” by a couple who witnessed the attack and intervened.
“I want to thank the couple who saved my son, I don’t have the words to thank them enough for what they did for him,” she said.
“They drove him to hospital and looked after him until I got there. They told me everything that happened.”
The couple then emailed both schools with the full details of the attack and made a statement to the police.
Police confirmed the incident and the schools involved and said officers attended after a call at 5pm.
A police spokeswoman said there was also a small group of males involved who were not school students.
Police said there were varying accounts of what happened and the incident was being investigated.
In a letter to the Māngere College school community, acting principal Melegaleuu Ah Sam informed caregivers the school was aware of the incident and the posts on social media.
“We would like to assure our community that we are working closely with the other college and the police to identify those involved and to resolve these matters as soon as possible,” she said in the letter.
The mother of the injured boy said she hoped the schools, the community, police and Māngere Town Centre could work together on initiatives to help youth in the area.
“After my son was beaten, I went to Māngere College myself and I cried and I told them I will not let this slide,” the mum said.
“When I got that phone call to say my son was in hospital, I was heartbroken, next week someone could be burying their child.”
The woman wanted initiatives to bring youth in the area together and unite them to create positive change.
Well-known and respected community advocate Fitz, who is Māngere born and bred, agreed and said he was keen to visit Māngere College and talk to the teens.
The owner of the popular TwoSevenFive clothing brand - inspired by Māngere’s 275 phone code - is at his shop in Māngere Town Centre most days.
Fitz wanted it to be a safe and inclusive gathering place - not one of violence.
His message to the teens involved, those who watched and filmed and those who might be thinking of retaliation, was to think about what they have in common.
“It’s all about relationships and connections and if there’s a kid in Māngere in a different school uniform, there is a high chance they are still from Māngere.”
Fitz, the founder of Twosevenfive Clothing, wanted to see more positive local businesses at the shopping centre. Photo / Vinesh Kumaran
“You are putting these labels on each other to divide but chances are you are from the same community, which means you go through the same struggles.”
Fitz said the only reason different groups “had beef or were fighting” was the labels on uniforms because they go to different schools.
“If we highlight what they have in common, hopefully that brings understanding.”
The Māngere Town Centre incident comes just one week after after a video emerged showing two girls at an Upper Hutt school punching and kicking a pupil on the ground, as their classmates film and laugh.
Footage of that vicious assault had been posted on social media on a private page and a copy was sent to the Herald.
Kirsty Wynn is an Auckland-based journalist with more than 20 years experience in New Zealand newsrooms. She has covered everything from crime and social issues to the property market and consumer affairs.
