Papakura community grieves after child run over at community hall

Members of the community have placed soft toys and candles outside the Smiths Avenue Community Hall in memory of the little girl who died. Photo / Dean Purcell

A grieving South Auckland community is in shock after the death of a treasured toddler hit and killed in the carpark at a community hall.

A makeshift shrine with candles and soft toys at the front of the hall this afternoon is the only sign of yesterday's tragedy.

The 21-month-old girl was struck at the Smiths Avenue Community Hall in Papakura just after 5.10pm on Saturday and died at the scene.

Violet Slade, who helps at the community centre and runs the Safer Smiths Ave Facebook page, said the community was in "total shock".

It was the first time anything drastic had happened in the community before and people were supporting each other and the whanau of the child as much as possible.

Slade declined to comment further out of respect for the family.

The scene outside the Smiths Ave Community Hall in Papakura. Photo / Dean Purcell.

Orange police tape is still strung across the community hall's driveway but it appears the accident happened around the corner, between two buildings.

In the narrow space, green spray paint marks out the position of a vehicle. Next to it is a large arrow, and patches of blood.

A police spokeswoman said: "Enquiries into the circumstances of the incident are ongoing and there's no further comment we can make at this time."

Neighbours spoken to by the Herald didn't see what happened, but one woman heard screams following the incident.

Emergency services at Smiths Avenue Community Hall in Papakura on Saturday night after a child was fatally struck. Photo / Supplied

Another drove past at 5pm yesterday and it was only on her return that she saw emergency workers at the scene.

The girl's family is well known in the community and family members have paid tribute to the toddler on social media.

"Words can never express the sadness grief and pain we as a family church & community feels," one family member posted.

Another said how much the little girl was loved and asked for prayers for strength for her family.

"Rest in love...," the post was signed off.

Auckland Council community places manager Kevin Marriott confirmed the tragic incident happened at the Smiths Avenue Community Hall on Saturday night.

"We extend our deepest sympathies to the whānau and the community at this sad time."

Marriott said the council would be working with the community regarding any activities planned in the hall in the coming days.

The community hall, once home to the town's netball courts, is hired out by the public and after falling in and out of use is now used extensively by the local community.

On Saturdays, a free lunch is held for local kids. The event stretches well into the afternoon, according to one local man, who said people would have still been milling around at 5pm when the tragedy happened.

But today the area is deathly quiet - the only noise was music spilling over the back fence of a neighbour. Local teenagers rode their bikes in circles around and around on the netball courts.

Auckland Council is assisting Police with its investigation. The Serious Crash Unit is investigating.

Figures on driveway deaths are not included in the road toll as they happen on private property, meaning it's hard to know exactly how many kids are killed in driveways each year.

However a 2011 study by SafeKids found every year an average of five Kiwi kids died and 12 were injured after being knocked over by a car in a driveway, often by their own parent.