Missing two-year-old reunited with family

A 2-year-old girl who went missing from her home in West Auckland in the early hours of this morning has been reunited with her family.

The girl, wearing only a pink nightie, was picked up in a distressed state by Waitakere police about 12.30am outside an address in Waimumu Rd, Massey.

Police described her as part-Maori and "cute as a button".

Her parents told police they woke up this morning to find their daughter missing from her bed.

They began a frantic search around their neighbourhood in Massey, unaware the child had already been picked up by police overnight.

The couple turned up at the police station around 8am.

She was looked after by social workers and has now been reunited with her family, Inspector Lou Alofa from police northern communications centre told NZPA.

"Police had a number of concerns. One of them is how she could go missing unnoticed for a considerable amount of time. There were a number of kids in the house, who were being looked after by a babysitter.

"The missing two-year-old normally sleeps with her Mum, but she was out and the young girl got up in the middle of the night and went walkabout," Mr Alofa said.

The case has been referred to Child, Youth and Family, but police were satisfied they did not need to take it any further.

-NZPA