An Upper Hutt primary school principal has written a warning to parents following the attempted luring of a girl out of school grounds on Tuesday afternoon.
In a statement emailed to parents, principal of Upper Hutt school Jo Grant described the incident in which a man approached a child behind the caretaker's shed.
"This man said 'your Mum and Dad told me to pick you up'," the statement read.
"This child felt scared and so ran to the school gate where her Mum was waiting for her in her car. The family informed me of this incident this morning."
Ms Grant said they were working with police to monitor the school and asked staff to be vigilant "especially before and after school".
Staff members at the school have spoken to their classes about keeping safe in the school grounds, and what to do if somebody they don't know speaks to them.
The police investigation is ongoing. Upper Hutt police have been approached for comment.
In December, police were forced to increase their patrols around Upper Hutt schools following reports of men trying to lure children away - with one man offering Pokemon cards to have a child follow him.
Newshub.
