The parents of a Rotorua toddler who escaped from her kindy and walked to her grandmother's house will meet with kindergarten officials this week.
Three-year-old Maia Bidois was attending her first full day at Rotorua's Selwyn Kindergarten when she took her coat and bag from the cloakroom and walked about
1km to her grandmother's house on Mallard Dr, without being noticed by her supervisors at the kindergarten.
Maia's parents, Adele Gotty and Wakaroa Bidois, said that although their daughter wanted to go back it was too soon after the event for them to decide.
"We are sceptical about kindies and Maia is still a bit clingy," Mr Bidois said. "It's hard to tell her she can't go back. We may consider going back there but not until we have seen some positive changes.
"Maia hasn't told us exactly what happened but she told my partner she just walked right out the front gate."
Central North Island Kindergarten Association general manager Jan Ballantyne said Maia's parents had been sent a letter inviting them to a meeting later this week. Mr Bidois said he would be "interested to hear" what the kindergarten had to say "but at the moment we are not happy and will take it as far as it has to go".
He was also to meet with Waiariki MP Te Ururoa Flavell this week.
How Maia managed to walk out of Selwyn Kindergarten last week remains a mystery. Mrs Ballantyne said the inquiry into the little girl's disappearance shortly before 12.30pm last Monday was not yet complete.
"There were no boxes stacked against a fence as initially reported, so she definitely could not have escaped that way. Either she has climbed a fence or gone out the gate. But because no one saw her there is no way of knowing for sure."
Mr Bidois said he did not want any other parents going through what he had endured in the last week. He was sleeping badly and was now on stress leave from his job as a truck driver.
