Community unites for child safety after two strange abduction attempts in Auckland

The principal of Rowandale School, Karl Vasau, is calling for increased awareness after a stranger attempted to abduct an eight-year-old student.

The child was walking home from school on Monday when a stranger offered him lollies and tried to lure him into their car. Nearby parents confronted the driver, who then fled the scene. The police are conducting an investigation and reviewing CCTV footage.

Speaking to William Terite on Pacific Mornings, Vasau says the boy and his whānau are understandably shaken up by the event.

“Understandably, it's every family and every father, every mother's worst nightmare. But they are pulling together. They are surrounding their child. This family is very supportive of our school and of their son. So it's wonderful to see that,” Vasau says.

“They're taken aback, there's a lot of emotion, but what they're doing to move forward is continuing to educate their boy, but also share this message so that the rest of us can learn from it and can step up to keep our children safe.

He adds that community constables and senior staff are now patrolling drop-off zones. Officers also address street safety with students, and teachers reinforce these lessons in the classroom.

Detective Senior Sergeant Kevin Tiernan says police are continuing their investigation and are actively supporting the student involved.

“Reassurance patrolling is also in place across the start and finish of the school day. We are taking this matter seriously and our enquiries are ongoing, including working to identify the vehicle the man was driving,” Tiernan says.

In a separate incident, police are investigating a report of suspicious behaviour in Titirangi on Wednesday morning involving a student from Kaurilands School.

Kaurilands School in Titirangi says a woman in a car approached one of its students. Photo/Google Streetview

According to Inspector Kelly Farrant, the Waitematā West Area Prevention Manager, a woman in a vehicle attempted to engage with a student on Derwent Crescent before 8.30am while on he was on his way to school. Fortunately, there were no reports of threats or violence.

“We acknowledge the boy in doing the right thing and [he] did not engage further with this woman. Instead, he has let staff at school know and we are now making enquiries to identify the woman,” Farrant says.

“These reports are understandably unsettling, and we ask the community to continue reporting suspicious activity to us.”

As part of these enquiries, police will seek to understand exactly what occurred.

Vasau says communication through letters and Facebook posts reinforces the safety message in the community. He adds that while awareness alone “won’t stop strange people doing strange things”, it will contribute to better safety.

Drawing on his nearly 20 years of leadership at Rowandale School, Vasau describes the incident as exceptionally rare, though a timely reminder for continued vigilance.

“We must put this into perspective - that this is a very isolated incident, but it's a timely reminder for us to continue to reinforce messages to our children. We don't want children to be afraid of strangers because, in this case, the strangers supported this child. These were parents who stepped in and confronted this man.

“We want children to know what is right and wrong and what are good things to be asked to do and what aren't. In this case, this boy was aware that what this man was asking him to do or to accept was wrong and moved on. That's important for us.”

Watch Karl Vasau’s full interview below.

He also says that if a stranger greets a child with a friendly “good morning” or “how are you?” It's important to teach our children how to respond appropriately. “We have to balance this out with good talanoa with our children.”

Vasau encourages parents to continue their efforts to raise their children and teach them to make positive choices. He emphasises the importance of community involvement - that the school works best when it is seen “as a village”.

“We are all responsible for raising, looking after and caring for each other. And if you see anything or saw anything in relation to the incident that happened on Monday outside Rowandale School, please contact me or the New Zealand Police.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Police on 105. If the call involves the Rowandale incident, use reference number 250507/8761.