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A toddler escaped from a��Rotorua��daycare centre and was found near a state highway by a woman driving past.��

Jessica Edwardson said she found the child on the footpath near Fairy Springs Rd/SH5 on Wednesday morning.��

While trying to find where the child came from she learned the child attended the nearby Harakeke Early Learning Centre.��

Harakeke Early Learning Centre confirmed a child left the premises unaccompanied and staff responded “quickly” once they realised the child was unaccounted for.��

The centre notified the��Ministry of Education��and it is reviewing its security and staff training.��

“We sincerely regret the distress this incident has caused.”��

‘No one was looking for the child’��

Edwardson told the��Rotorua Daily Post��she and a colleague were driving on Fairy Springs Rd about 11am on Wednesday.��

“I just saw a little toddler on the main road and I thought: ‘What the?’”��

Edwardson said they pulled over. She got out of the car and picked up the toddler from the footpath.��

“[They] just looked like [they were] lost.”��

She said she was “freaking out” when she saw the child.��

“Because if that was my [child], I would’ve been fuming.”��

The centre is on Isobel St in Fairy Springs. One end of Isobel St ends in a cul-de-sac which is near Fairy Springs Rd/SH5 and is where Edwardson said she found the child.��

Edwardson said she walked up four driveways close to where the child was found asking if residents knew them.��

Edwardson said she went to Harakeke Early Learning Centre to ask if she could call the police because she had left her phone in her car.��

“A lady from inside the daycare saw me standing outside with the child and then ran out.��

“They quickly grabbed the child and went off ...’'��

A Rotorua toddler was found on State Highway 5/Fairy Springs Rd by a woman driving past after the toddler left daycare unaccompanied. Photo / 123rf��

Edwardson told them the child was “out on the main road”.��

She said the daycare was gated “so it was a bit confusing as to how the child even got out in the first place”.��

Edwardson said the daycare had contacted her asking to meet to discuss the incident.��

Edwardson posted about the incident on social media hoping the child’s parent would see it.��

She said the child’s parent contacted her after seeing the post.��

‘We sincerely regret the distress this incident has caused’��

Harakeke Early Childhood Centre kaitiaki Merenia Corbett said a child left the premises unaccompanied on Wednesday about 10.52am.��

Corbett said the teaching team realised the child was unaccounted for and responded “quickly”.��

“And thanks to the help of a member of the public, the child was returned safely to the centre.”��

Corbett said the child’s parent was immediately informed and the centre met with the parent to provide “all the information we had at the time”.��

“We sincerely regret the distress this incident has caused.”��

Corbett said the centre notified the Ministry of Education and was conducting an investigation to determine how the incident occurred and to prevent any future incidents.��

“All staff are in full co-operation with the investigation and will be implementing any recommendations to ensure the safety of all children in our care.”��

Corbett said the centre’s priority remained the safety and well-being of the children entrusted to it and it was committed to maintaining a secure environment at all times.��

“We are reviewing our security measures and staff training to ensure this does not happen again.��

“We would like to humbly thank our centre families for the support that they have expressed to the child, family, staff, and the centre.��

“In the meantime, we ask for your understanding and patience as we address this issue.”��

Ministry investigation expected to be completed within 15 days��

Ministry of Education Te Tai Whenua (Central) hautū (deputy secretary) Jocelyn Mikaere said Harakeke Early Learning Centre in Rotorua had reported an incident involving a child being found by a member of the public outside the centre.��

“We are currently working with the centre to investigate this matter. We expect this to be completed within 15 days.”��

The child’s parent did not wish to comment until the investigation had been completed.��

In 2018, the��Rotorua Daily Post��reported on��three 4-year-old girls who escaped from ABC Sunset Rotorua��on trikes after one climbed on top of a trike and unlocked a 1.7m gate.��

Megan Wilson��is a health and general news reporter for the��Bay of Plenty Times��and��Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.��