Upper Hutt daycare to evacuate, police on NZCIS campus site after bomb threat

A daycare is asking parents to pick their children up early so they can evacuate the centre following a bomb threat.

The centre and the NZCIS sporting campus it is located on have been in lockdown this morning as police sweep the property.

A police spokesman said they are making inquiries into a “threatening message sent to an organisation in Upper Hutt”.

“We do not believe there are any immediate safety risks, however, these sorts of threats are taken seriously,” they said.

“Inquiries remain ongoing into the source of the message.”

In a statement, the New Zealand Campus of Innovation and Sport (NZCIS) said it was working with police onsite with regard to an incident.

“In the interest of the safety of all on campus, while the risk is low - everyone on-site has been evacuated and we expect an all clear for business as usual early this afternoon.”

The Upper Hutt campus includes accommodation blocks, a conference centre, and sporting facilities.

In a message sent to parents, Farmyard Preschool said their landlords, NZCIS campus, had told them there was a bomb threat at the property.

“We do not wish to alarm you, however, we need to inform you we are currently in lockdown,” the preschool’s email said.

“This lockdown was enforced by NZCIS campus, who are our landlords. There has been communication of a bomb threat at the campus. Officials are on-site and we hope to know more soon.

“We understand the anxiety this causes you, but please know the tamariki are happy having games and are all accounted for.”

The email, sent about 10.20am, was followed by an 11am update saying they remained “safe and well in lockdown”.

“Currently police with dogs are searching the whole premises thoroughly, while a specialist team is arriving shortly,” the email said.

“There is also security on-site, not letting people in or out.”

The preschool urged parents to take comfort in the fact they practised lockdown drills with the children each term.

“This is to ensure kaiako and tamariki are as prepared as they can be for situations like these.”

The latest email from the preschool, sent this afternoon, asked parents and caregivers to pick up their children by 3pm today.

“We have been advised from the police and the serious threat team that they would like the whole campus (including Farmyard Preschool) to be evacuated as an extra precaution by 3 this afternoon.

“They have advised us that they are 99% sure that this was a hoax, but would prefer to err on the side of caution and therefore we are asking that you come and collect your tamariki before 3pm so that the centre is closed for 3pm as advised above.”

The email said the children were “amazing” through the lockdown.

The Wellington Phoenix have cancelled their scheduled media session today at NZCIS due to “unforeseen circumstances”.

Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.