6 Dec 2021

Southland school, kindergarten locked down after firearms incident leaves one injured

4:47 pm on 6 December 2021

A school and kindergarten in Winton, Southland, were in lockdown this afternoon after a firearms incident left one person injured, according to police.

Winton is a rural Southland town about half an hour north of Invercargill.

Aerial view of Winton. Photo: ODT Files

Police are responding to the incident this afternoon and the lockdown was a precaution.

On Facebook, just before 3pm, Winton School said police had advised it was safe to end the lockdown and children could be released from class.

The school was locked down from 1.15pm, the school said.

"After many drills over the past few years, all students and staff have responded quickly and are safe in their allocated spaces."

Police have declined to provide further details on the incident and would not say if anyone had been apprehended.

Winton is located half an hour north of Invercargill.