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A Tauranga grandfather was “in shock” after finding four young children “running around on the road” and learning they had escaped from their daycare nearby. 

His main concern was that the children – “no older than 3-year-olds” – could have been hit by a car. 

He immediately returned them to the early learning centre Kids on Nineteen and claimed the first staff member he spoke to “didn’t even know what was going on”. 

The Bay of Plenty Times reported on January 22 that four children escaped from Kids on Nineteen, through a gate that “unexpectedly malfunctioned”, and were found nearby by members of the public. 

Kids on Nineteen apologised for the “deeply distressing” incident, which happened at 1.29pm on December 3. 

The centre said four children “briefly exited” the premises through a gate that “unexpectedly malfunctioned”. 

Four children 'briefly exited' the premises of Kids on Nineteen via a gate that 'unexpectedly malfunctioned' on December 3. Photo / Megan Wilson 

It said the incident was “immediately noticed by a staff member” and, thanks to the swift actions of members of the public, the children were safely returned to the centre “within minutes”. 

The centre acknowledged the seriousness of the situation and responded by “promptly” replacing the gate and installing safety latches on windows. 

It said the centre had reminded all parents and staff of the importance of “remaining vigilant” and ensuring gates were securely closed when entering or exiting the premises. 

“Together, we continue to prioritise the safety and happiness of every child in our care.” 

It comes after a toddler escaped from a Rotorua daycare after climbing the fence in August and was found near a state highway by a woman driving past. 

‘Holy s***, are those kids up there?’ 

Kids on Nineteen is on 19th Ave, which runs opposite Tauranga Hospital between Cameron Rd and Botanical Rd. 

The Tauranga grandfather – who did not want to be named as he did not want to be considered a “hero” – said he had just picked up his granddaughter from a different daycare when he found the children about 1.30pm. 

“I turned off Cameron Rd by the hospital side onto 19th Ave and when I turned off from Cameron Rd, I could see the kids up the end of the road from there.” 

He said two children were on 19th Ave and the other two were on Botanical Rd. 

“I was like, ‘holy s***, are those kids up there?’ You know, I was in shock.” 

As he drove closer, he found the four children “on the road”. 

He stopped in the middle of the road nearby, put hazard lights on and went to grab the two children on 19th and as his granddaughter collected the two off Botanical Rd. 

“I could pick two of them up easy and my granddaughter she picked two of them up easy. So, they weren’t big kids they were only little kids.” 

He assumed the children were from Kids on Nineteen as it was “right there”. 

The children were not upset and “looked like they were having fun running around on the road”. 

As he approached the centre, the grandfather claimed one staff member came out and “didn’t even know what was going on”. 

He said the staff member called out to a colleague. 

“I handed the kids over to them and said [I] picked them up on the road.” 

He said the centre did not record his details and he had no further communication with them. 

‘I would be asking a lot of questions’ 

The grandfather said his main concern was the children being hit by a car. 

“Because they were right on the road. They weren’t on the side of the road.” 

He said he would be “pretty pissed off” if they were his children or grandchildren. 

“I would be asking a lot of questions like how the hell did this happen? Like cars don’t go slow around there ...” 

He disputed the centre’s statement that a staff member “immediately” noticed the children were missing. 

“They didn’t immediately notice. If they did, they wouldn’t have been on the road.” 

He acknowledged he did not know how long the children had been on the road for. 

Kids on Nineteen responds 

In response, a statement from Kids on Nineteen to the Bay of Plenty Times clarified the staff member in question noticed the children were missing “when she acknowledged that they were not in the room”. 

“At that moment, she looked up and saw a man holding a child, whom she immediately recognised as one of our tamariki. This prompted staff members to take immediate action.” 

The statement said staff proceeded to the entrance of the daycare driveway where they met the man and a woman, “and safely retrieved all four children”. 

“Again, staff were in shock themselves and were truly grateful for the man and the woman returning the children to the centre unharmed. 

“We cannot express how thankful we were for their immediate action.” 

The statement clarified the gate that “unexpectedly malfunctioned” was the exterior gate located in its front learning area, which was situated at the front of the property. 

It was not one of its two front entrance gates. 

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.