One person has been referred to Youth Aid after an assault which left a girl bloodied outside a McDonald's in Auckland on Saturday afternoon.
The girl was enjoying a meal and laughing with her friends at the fast food restaurant on Kaipatiki Rd, Glenfield, after 1.30pm when she was attacked.
Her sister, Rein Crystal, today told 1News that two other girls at the restaurant mistakenly believed the 12-year-old and her friends were laughing at them.
When she left the restaurant, one of the girls from the McDonald's approached her and demanded an apology, assuming she had been mocked.
The girl apologised and explained she had not been laughing at them. The girls then kicked her leg, before pinning her to the ground and repeatedly kicking her in the face.
"She had already apologised, but the girls kept kicking her because she has no way of defending herself," Crystal said.
"She just wanted to enjoy a meal with her friends."
The attackers fled, leaving the young girl on the concrete crying and covered in blood.
The girl was picked up by her parents and taken to White Cross A&E, where her injuries were treated.
The family had just moved to New Zealand from the Philippines last August, and said this kind of thing had never happened before.
"My daughter is not the type to engage in fights or rebellious behaviour, and incidents like this never occurred to them, even back in the Philippines," her mother said in a Facebook post.
In a statement this afternoon, Waitematā East Area Commander Inspector Stefan Sagar told 1News police are now speaking to one person following the incident.
"They are currently assisting us with our inquiries and will be referred to Youth Aid," he said.
Police are continuing to provide support to the girl, as well as the wider community who had been impacted by what happened.
"We acknowledge this was a frightening incident for those involved and we would like to reassure the community we have no tolerance for this type of behaviour."
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