Tuakau College students head home after power cut closes school

Tuakau College students have an unexpected day off after a power cut. Photo / File

Tuakau College students have gone home for the day because of a power cut.

Assistant principal Ally Fletcher said about 400 students in Years 7 to 10 were sent home late morning after a trailer came off the back of a ute in Buckland Rd and hit a pole supplying power to the college just after 9am.

The Ministry of Education advised that schools should be closed if power was expected to stay off for more than two hours.

"We were advised that it was going to take at least a day," she said. "We were told just before we left at lunchtime that they expected it to be up and running tomorrow."

She said exams for the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) went ahead for senior students as planned.

"There is enough light in the gym," she said.

"For those who needed assistive technology, we managed to scramble enough laptops with enough juice in them to get them through."

Tuakau Primary School principal Margaret Kaa said her school, which is also in Buckland Rd, also lost power but regained it within half an hour and was still open.

Counties Power spokeswoman Jodine Laing-Reeve said power was restored to the college at 1.30pm today.