Western Heights High School (WHS) students in Rotorua have been released safely to go home following an evacuation due to a bomb threat.
Frustrated and fearful parents have arrived at the school following a notification from the school that they were in lockdown.
According to a Facebook post by the school, Police had received the bomb threat and confirmed that all students and staff were evacuated safely from the buildings.
One concerned parent told Te Ao that they were initially told that it was a fire drill but three hours later the students have now been safely released to return to their homes.
One WHS student said, "We all made our way to the netball courts and stayed there for about two-three hours."
She also explained that it wasn't a new experience, that "It's happened before about two-three years ago."
She said the students played games to keep calm, confirming that no-one 'felt' scared but were happy to be going home.