Wakefield School principal says things got real when ash and pine needles started falling from the sky

February 8, 2019

Peter Verstappen says parents should be honest with children during emergencies, but reassure them people are here to help.

The principal of Wakefield school says his 260 pupils should be reassured that there are plenty of people helping to keep them safe.

The small school is among kindergartens, early childhood centres and schools which have been closed today as Wakefield residents wait to see whether or not they will need to evacuate because of the fire which has burned for much of the week.

Principal Peter Verstappen said he and other staff were surprised at the turn of events.

"We came back from the Waitangi holiday yesterday and our thoughts were mainly with those families who had been evacuated on Wednesday out of Pigeon Valley, and we were in close touch with them," Mr Verstappen said.

"Otherwise we tried to keep things as normal as possible, just because that's important for the kids - but clearly it was the thing utmost in everybody's minds.

"As the day went on we became a little bit more on edge as the smoke thickened.

"When we finished school at the end of yesterday, we expected to be back today ... we thought, well, this thing will blow out a little bit more ... then as the evening went on, and the way the wind shifts were happening, the smoke got thicker, the ash started falling

"By the time that the Civil Defence notice came out around 10 o'clock last night that there was the potential to evacuate the village, you could feel a sort of a shift in the atmosphere at that time.

"The traffic started to pick up, social media was going nuts and I think that really ramped up the whole event for everybody here.

"We've got 260 students here, and that's a lot of families, we serve the whole district, around about, so it's a big deal."

Mr Verstappen said it is important to be truthful with children during emergencies like this, and to acknowledge that being anxious or afraid is a valid feeling to have, but also said they should be reassured by the number of people helping to keep them safe.

"I think it's really important for families to acknowledge to children that there is a problem," he said.

"It's OK to feel uncertain or anxious, those are real feelings, but there are a lot of good people supporting this effort and there will be a lot of notice given if we have to leave."

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