Teachers and children hid in locked classrooms until they were escorted out one class at a time by their school principal.
Ministry of Education spokesperson Katrina Casey said: "Yesterday's events at Flaxmere School highlighted how important it is for schools to be prepared for emergency situations and the school did a good job in ensuring all their children were kept safe," .
The Ministry of Education had a traumatic Incident team visiting the school today.
The team will be helping the school develop processes for dealing with the incident, provide advise on how to talk about the event and help the school understand the emotional and psychological impact a traumatic event can have.
The traumatic Incidents team will be staying as long as needed, Casey said.