Probe into email threats sent to two Northland school staff members under way

Multimedia Journalist, Northern Advocate·Northern Advocate·

12 Oct, 2023 02:50 AM2 mins to read

Police are in the very early stages of investigating a report of threats being emailed to staff at Kamo High School.

Two “threatening emails” received by teachers at Kamo High School have been described as “weird”, and investigations are now under way.

School principal Natasha Hemara said the incident was a first for the school. It was brought to her attention on Tuesday by a couple of teachers.

She suspected it could be a student playing a prank, but didn’t leave out the possibility of overseas interference, as she had once experienced when she was working at a school in Hamilton a few years ago.

“When our tech team weren’t able to determine the sender, we informed the police as per our school policies.”

A police spokesperson said that since the case was in the early stages of investigation, they wouldn’t be able to provide further information.

Although the principal didn’t disclose the content of the letter, the Advocate understands the unknown person who emailed the threat expressed their intention to visit the school and “do stuff to them”.

“What I can say is that the email mentions the names of some students as well, and we have accordingly contacted their families.

“To be clear, we don’t think there is anything to it. But as a precaution, we have followed it up with the police to ensure it’s not a part of an ongoing pattern in other schools,” Hemara said.

Avneesh Vincent is the crime and emergency services reporter at the Advocate. He was previously at the Gisborne Herald as the arts and environment reporter and is passionate about covering stories that can make a difference. He joined NZME in July 2023.