Margaret Mahy Playground is the most popular playground in Christchurch. Photo / Christchurch City Council
Margaret Mahy Playground is the most popular playground in Christchurch. Photo / Christchurch City Council
A former Christchurch education programme that taught children French once a week has closed after a child went missing while on an outing.
A four-year-old went walkabout at Margaret Mahy Family Playground for about 35 minutes on September 1.
The child was attending Alliance Française de Christchurch's former La PetiteÉcole programme, when they were found by a member of the public trying to cross Kilmore St 200 metres away.
The Ministry of Education has since instructed the programme to close after it was found it wasn't operating within the Education and Training Act 2020.
Margaret Mahy Family Playground in Christchurch's Central City Photo / George Heard
MOE's Te Tai Runga leader Nancy Bell said when it became aware of the incident, the organisation was asked to clarify its programme.
"As soon as they realised they were not operating within the Education and Training Act 2020, Alliance Française stopped the La Petite École programme with immediate effect".
Bell said this is while they investigate modifying their service provision to operate within the Act or becoming a licenced service.
The child walked from the Margaret Mahy Playground across the bridge and down to Kilmore Street. Photo / Google Maps
The child's mother Sandrine Sunley is upset over the handling of the situation – and quickly pulled her daughter out of the former programme following the incident.
She has described the organisation's response as appalling.
Her daughter went missing after 11am in the morning, but she wasn't alerted until about 1pm.
Sunley said she along with police should have been called straight away.
"That made me really angry because she managed to cross all those streets, walk all the way to Kilmore Street… thank god she was found by someone really nice".
Sunley's daughter had told the passer-by she had wanted to go see her mother - who works for Immigration New Zealand.
The man called police to report finding her daughter – before taking her to a nearby lawyer's office where he was helped by one of the partners of the practice and the office manager.
Sandrine Sunley said when a member from the programme arrived to pick her daughter up, he yelled at the 4-year-old.
The Margaret Mahy Family Playground in the centre of Christchurch. Photo / Hamish Clark
Those in the lawyer's office were uncomfortable about releasing the child until the mother had been contacted.
Since then, Alliance Française de Christchurch has expressed its devastation and apologised.
A spokesperson said they have treated this incident extremely seriously and are grateful to the bystander who found the child.
They say they've undertaken a thorough investigation - and a full report has been sent to all parents involved in its former programme.
It includes information on meetings with staff involved in the programme, interviews with the passer-by and the office who received the child.
In addition, it further included a follow-up call with police, answers to questions raised by Sunley and feedback from parents who attending meetings following the incident.
Separately, Alliance Française de Christchurch wrote to the Ministry of Education advising its programme had ceased to operate.
While some parents are critical of how the incident was handled, some have suggested a fence be put around the public playground.
Parent-of-four, Nichola Wells-Zeier, was there when the incident unfolded and said she has lost sleep over what happened - especially as it was another parent who called police.
"I was completely rattled by the whole thing so I rang my Ministry of Education contact for my home-school situation and she was seeing red as well".
While Wells-Zeier believes the responsibility of a child lies with a parent - she would be supportive of fencing around the park.
Sunley shared similar views.
"The location of Margaret Mahy Family Playground is right in the middle of the city. It's surrounded by four really busy streets, there is a river there. I would like to see some fencing there because kids do run away, it's not their fault...".
But it's not an option the Christchurch City Council will take up.
Head of Parks Andrew Rutledge says the first point of responsibility is with the caregivers - and the playground meets all safety guidelines and requirements.
Central ward councillor Jake McLellan said looking at safety improvements is important - but it is up to the the organisation caring for the child that needs to review its processes.
