Hamilton kindergarten parents left in the dark after neighbour hurls abuse at centre resulting in lockdowns, police call outs

Miropiko Kindergarten has been shut down for two days following incidents of abuse from a neighbour. Photo / Google Maps

A Hamilton kindergarten has been shut down after ongoing incidents of abusive behaviour from a neighbouring tenant has resulted in the centre being sent into lockdown and police being called out.

Concerned parent Aimie Cronin has two boys who attend Miropiko Kindergarten on River Rd and received word at short notice on Thursday morning that the centre would be shut for two days.

This came after receiving two notices earlier in the week from the Waikato Kindergarten Associations' CEO Maree Stewart about recent incidents where a neighbour hurled abuse towards the centre from over the fence, the most recent being on Wednesday.

Cronin has been left disappointed by the association because of their handling of the situation and lack of communication, saying her questions about how children and staff would be kept safe have gone unanswered by Stewart.

She also said it is still not clear when the first incident occurred and is upset that parents were not told immediately.

"We send our children to kindy trusting their safety is paramount and that trust has been severed in the past week with little or no communication from the Waikato Kindergarten Association," she said.

"We are still in the dark on many of the details surrounding the incidents and feel there is no sound strategy in place to keep children and staff at Miropiko safe."

When approached by the Herald Stewart declined to comment on the incidents and said all communication about the incidents would only be had with families.

In both notices, Stewart said the centre had to go into lockdown and police were called out.

Following the incident on Wednesday, Stewart told parents that a man had now been trespassed meaning if he leant over the fence again he would be arrested.

The association said they have also employed security guards to be at the centre while the neighbour's social housing agency LinkPeople worked to relocate him.

LinkPeople chief executive Fiona Hamilton said it was working with urgency to resolve the situation but could not divulge on specific details due to privacy.

"I absolutely acknowledge there have been challenges due to our tenant's behaviour causing concerns and disruption for the staff and families who attend Miropiko Kindergarten," said Hamilton.

"Please be assured that LinkPeople takes community safety extremely seriously. We are working with urgency to resolve the situation and have been communicating regularly with kindergarten staff and management to work on solutions. We will continue to do so until a suitable solution is found for everyone involved."