A toddler escaped from a Rotorua daycare centre and was found near a state highway by a woman driving past.
Jessica Edwardson said she found the child on the footpath near Fairy Springs Rd/SH5 on Wednesday morning.
While trying to find where the child came from she learned the child attended the nearby Harakeke Early Learning Centre.
Harakeke Early Learning Centre confirmed a child left the premises unaccompanied and staff responded “quickly” once they realised the child was unaccounted for.
The centre notified the Ministry of Education and it is reviewing its security and staff training.
“We sincerely regret the distress this incident has caused.”
Edwardson told the Rotorua Daily Post she and a colleague were driving on Fairy Springs Rd about 11am on Wednesday.
“I just saw a little toddler on the main road and I thought: ‘What the?’”
Edwardson said they pulled over. She got out of the car and picked up the toddler from the footpath.
“[They] just looked like [they were] lost.”
She said she was “freaking out” when she saw the child.
“Because if that was my [child], I would’ve been fuming.”
The centre is on Isobel St in Fairy Springs. One end of Isobel St ends in a cul-de-sac which is near Fairy Springs Rd/SH5 and is where Edwardson said she found the child.
Edwardson said she walked up four driveways close to where the child was found asking if residents knew them.
Edwardson said she went to Harakeke Early Learning Centre to ask if she could call the police because she had left her phone in her car.
“A lady from inside the daycare saw me standing outside with the child and then ran out.
“They quickly grabbed the child and went off ...’'
Edwardson told them the child was “out on the main road”.
She said the daycare was gated “so it was a bit confusing as to how the child even got out in the first place”.
Edwardson said the daycare had contacted her asking to meet to discuss the incident.
Edwardson posted about the incident on social media hoping the child’s parent would see it.
She said the child’s parent contacted her after seeing the post.
Harakeke Early Childhood Centre kaitiaki Merenia Corbett said a child left the premises unaccompanied on Wednesday about 10.52am.
Corbett said the teaching team realised the child was unaccounted for and responded “quickly”.
“And thanks to the help of a member of the public, the child was returned safely to the centre.”
Corbett said the child’s parent was immediately informed and the centre met with the parent to provide “all the information we had at the time”.
“We sincerely regret the distress this incident has caused.”
Corbett said the centre notified the Ministry of Education and was conducting an investigation to determine how the incident occurred and to prevent any future incidents.
“All staff are in full co-operation with the investigation and will be implementing any recommendations to ensure the safety of all children in our care.”
Corbett said the centre’s priority remained the safety and well-being of the children entrusted to it and it was committed to maintaining a secure environment at all times.
“We are reviewing our security measures and staff training to ensure this does not happen again.
“We would like to humbly thank our centre families for the support that they have expressed to the child, family, staff, and the centre.
“In the meantime, we ask for your understanding and patience as we address this issue.”
Ministry of Education Te Tai Whenua (Central) hautū (deputy secretary) Jocelyn Mikaere said Harakeke Early Learning Centre in Rotorua had reported an incident involving a child being found by a member of the public outside the centre.
“We are currently working with the centre to investigate this matter. We expect this to be completed within 15 days.”
The child’s parent did not wish to comment until the investigation had been completed.
In 2018, the Rotorua Daily Post reported on three 4-year-old girls who escaped from ABC Sunset Rotorua on trikes after one climbed on top of a trike and unlocked a 1.7m gate.
Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.
The Rotorua law student who authored it says the support was 'overwhelming but inspiring'.