School children caught up in this morning’s Auckland CBD sang waiata, did karakia and called their mums because they “didn’t know if it would be the last time”.
More than 100 students were taken in by BNZ staff at a Deloitte’s building in Auckland’s CBD as armed police responded to a gunman’s shooting rampage at a construction site nearby.
Three people, including the gunman, were left dead and police cordoned off parts of the CBD for many hours, urging people to stay indoors and avoid the area.
But dozens of students from Auckland Girls’ Grammar and St Paul's College were left running on the streets unsure where to go when a BNZ staffer opened up the building and took them in.
“It was really frustrating because it was just like random kids running around the city trying to be safe,” said Year 10 student Nia.
“All the police were coming with their guns and all of a sudden we got told to start running,” her friend Lizzy said.
“We were just like really worried because we have a lot of mates and they were all around town and we didn't know if they were safe or not.”
The students were taken up to the seventh floor and offered hot drinks. They say about 60 of the students were from Auckland Girls' Grammar School and more than 30 were students from St Paul’s College.
“They made us hot chocolates and we sang waiatas because that's what our natural instinct to do is,” Lizzy said.
“It's just for our wairua and just to calm us down. Even our mate did a karakia for us to make us feel sure that we are safe.”
With emotions high, Nia said she began to think of her parents who she hadn’t had a chance to say goodbye to this morning. Her friend Lizzy said it was then that their friends began to call home.
“Most of them were scared and started calling their parents,” Lizzy said.
“Most of them were calling their mums to tell them that they loved them and it was quite sad because we also could hear gunshots. Some of the girls were scared that they actually wanted to go home but we couldn’t leave because they wouldn’t let us.
“It was quite sad seeing people say 'I love you' to their parents because they didn't know if it was going to be the last time.”
Hundreds of their peers at school travel through the CBD, including Britomart, everyday to get to their school nearby.
Deputy Principal Maree Flannery said staff were anxiously trying to get in touch with parents after news of the shooting broke this morning.
“We were in shock and first and foremost we were just thinking ‘Where are our students?’ We started communicating with staff and families about what we knew and we were just asking parents to let us know if they were in contact with their daughters so we would know if they were safe,” she said.
“I think we would’ve had over a hundred of our students caught up in town around the areas that were locked down. Some of them were evacuated with nowhere to go. Some of them were making their way up town.
“Some were messaging us to let us know they were being held in either a cordoned off area or somewhere else. They were telling us that they were scared and that they couldn’t leave.”
Another Year 10 student Skyla said they had run past several buildings but no one would open their doors.
“Only one person in the whole crowd was like ‘You can come in here, it’s safe’. The rest just shut their doors and their curtains,” her friend Nia said.
The students said they instantly recognised BNZ staffer Aria Clapperton as the Tiktok influencer who posts content about her passion for running.
“I think it made it a little easier for the girls to trust me because some of them followed me on Tiktok. I just did what I would think anyone else would do which is encourage them to come into your safe office," Clapperton said.
“All of our staff just jumped in to support our rangatahi. We had waiata and karakia and I’m really pleased that everyone was able to get involved in that way.”
Clapperton estimated she saw roughly between 100 and 150 students by the end of the morning.
“As we were sending off 30 students at a time in shuttle vans, another wave of 20 or 30 students would be arriving. It was more than I anticipated,” she said.
“It was just important for all of our staff to awhi them and keep them safe.”
Deputy principal Flannery said the school was extremely grateful when they were contacted by Clapperton and told that a group of their students were safe in their building.
“I thought the BNZ staff were incredible. Amazing really. Communities supporting our students out there. The girls probably didn’t know what they should be doing and they saw that and Aria took them in," Flannery said.
“We are so grateful.”
“At the time it was just kind of surreal. This isn’t a normal situation in Aotearoa. And I’m devastated for the whanau of those that have passed away,” said BNZ staffer Clapperton.
“We just feel for all the families that lost their whanau today, it’s quite sad,” agreed Skyla who was with Nia and Lizzy.
“I can’t wait to go home to my mum, to my family,” said Lizzy.
“I just don’t want to experience that feeling ever again. I’ve seen that on TV but I never ever thought I’d see that in New Zealand. I’ll never forget today.”
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