In separate statements to their school communities, Avonside Girls’ and Shirley Boys’ High Schools both confirmed their pupils were put into lockdown just after midday.
They asked parents not to come to school or phone the school during the incident.
“Please do not come to the school or phone the school as you will not be attended to and this may cause disruption to the management of this incident and could potentially place yourselves and/or our staff and student’s safety at risk,” a statement from Avonside Girls’ read.
“All further updates will be provided on the school website.”
A message from Shirley Boys’, which shares a New Brighton site with Avonside, said an “unauthorised person” was on school grounds.
“This school has been placed in lockdown, please follow lockdown procedures” an automatic message played on loud-speakers.
Pareawa Banks Avenue School principal Toni Burnside told NZME she was in a professional development meeting with several local school representatives when principals from both AGHS and SBHS rushed out.
Talking to The New Zealand Herald, Avonside’s principal confirmed a man had wandered on to the school’s grounds without permission and was behaving oddly.
“He just walked right past reception and on to the school, so we put the students into lockdown,” principal Catherine Law said.
The man, who was unarmed, was not thought to be known to the school, but inquiries are ongoing.
Pupils of both schools were evacuated on to the tennis courts as per their lockdown procedure.
Police shortly arrived, the man in question was taken away and inquiries are under way.
Whilst the nature of the incident has been resolved, Law said there was still a process for the school to carry out and would carry out checks with their pupils.
“We will take the students back into school for checks, some students will be fine and others will need a little more support,” she said.
“I’m very pleased with the school’s communication with the parents and students,” said Law.
In a statement to the media, police confirmed they responded to reports of a suspicious person who walked into a school at around 11.40am.
“The person was not armed and [nobody] was injured,” they said.
Students have made their way back into their classrooms, a “large number” of parents are waiting outside the school to pick their children up according to a photographer at the scene.
