A school and kindergarten were placed in lockdown in the town of Winton, north of Invercargill, for more than an hour as police responded to a shooting in the area.
Police confirmed they were responding to a firearms incident in which a person had been injured on Monday afternoon.
Winton School, north of Invercargill, went into lockdown just after 1pm, though police said it was just precautionary. In a Facebook post, the school advised parents not to drive there to pick up their children, as it awaits an update from police.
"This is to let you know that, based on a directive from the Police, Winton School has been in lockdown since 1:15pm," the post read.
"After many drills over the past few years, all students and staff have responded quickly and are safe in their allocated spaces. We are waiting for an update from the police, so until then, please do not come to the school to pick up your children."
Just before 2:40pm, the school released another Facebook post saying it was no longer in lockdown after the police deemed it safe to return to normal schooling.
"As per normal, children will be released from their classrooms at 2:45pm. Thank you for your cooperation."
