Email bomb scare at Waikanae School from overseas

An email bomb threat that led to Waikanae Primary School being evacuated this morning was a hoax according to Kapiti police.

The email came from an unknown overseas source at around 7.12pm yesterday evening, claiming four bombs were planted around the school.

After picking up the email this morning, Waikanae School staff organised an immediate evacuation of the school premises and contacted police.

Students spent the morning at the Waikanae Memorial Hall awaiting pick up by parents, while Kapiti police searched the school premises.

Waikanae School principal Bevan Campbell said the school followed evacuation procedures it practiced twice a term,which included evacuation from the school, notification of parents and police, and full closure of the school.

Waikanae School student Mia Dray, 10, said students were initially told to get their bags and go to the school hall.

"We don't really know what's happening but we knew to come to the hall because that's pretty much the safest thing we could do," she said.

"People are happy to get away from school because we want to be playing, but we want to be able to go and get our stuff like our bags and scooters."

Senior Sergeant Chanel Chapman of Kapiti police said local police staff conducted a clear sweep of all the classrooms and school grounds, in search of unusual devices.

"Absolutely nothing was found, so there's no concern at this stage," Chapman said.

"In regards to the email, we'll do some tracing to see if we can track it back to its origins, which appears to have come from overseas somewhere."

Waikanae School student Mia Dray, 10, with Waikanae School principle Bevan Campbell at the Waikanae Memorial Hall, following a hoax bomb threat.