Whangārei school in lockdown after suspected explosive device found on field

Police are at Whangārei Boys' High School after reports of an explosive device at the school. Photo / John Stone

A Whangārei school has been in lockdown and its field cordoned off after police were called over reports of an explosive device on the school grounds.

Police were called just before noon to Whangārei Boys' High School after a report of a suspicious object located on the field .

Police are in attendance at the school currently making enquiries and the immediate area on the field has been cordoned off.

The school was been put into lockdown for the interim as a precautionary measure, police said. That was lifted after about an hour.

Whangārei Boys' High principal Karen Gilbert-Smith said the school's procedures worked well during the incident.

"We practise for these sort of situations. We were very delighted with how the boys handled the situation,'' she said.

''Police put student safety at the forefront and have everything under control. We are now back to business as usual."

The New Zealand Defence Force bomb disposal unit has been informed and is heading north to deal with the device.

It's not know what the device is, at this stage or how it got on the school field.

No further information is available at this time.