Authorities in New Zealand have launched multiple investigations following the death of a young boy who reportedly went missing after exiting a school transport van operated for students with special needs.
Police, the coroner, and WorkSafe are all investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, while the Ministry of Education is also assisting with inquiries. The boy, who was under the age of 10, was found dead at a private residence after reportedly leaving a Ritchies Transport-operated van before reaching his home on Monday afternoon, Stuff has reported.
The child attended a special needs school in Auckland, where staff and students are mourning his loss.
“A very loved young man has passed away,” the school principal told local media, as quoted by Stuff.
The principal described the tragedy as a “hard time for the family, as well as our whole school community”, adding that staff members were “hurting” following the loss of the student, who had attended the school for the past three years.
The boy’s funeral was held on Friday.
According to Stuff, Ritchies Transport, which recently took over contracts to provide the Specialised School Transport Assistance (SESTA) service for several Auckland special schools, declined to comment on the matter. After being approached for a response, communications representative GJ Thompson said, “Apologies for the delay in getting back to you,” before adding, “I assist Ritchies with communications. There is no comment.”
SESTA is a Ministry of Education-funded service that provides free transport for children and young people with mobility or safety-related needs.
In a statement, the Ministry of Education confirmed investigations were underway but said it would be “inappropriate” to comment further on the case. The ministry stated that it “sets clear requirements and expectations for safety, supervision and operations, and actively monitors provider performance against these standards,” Stuff has quoted.
Police confirmed the case had been referred to the coroner but declined to comment further.
WorkSafe also confirmed it had been notified about the incident and had begun inquiries.
“We are making enquiries to understand the circumstances of what has happened to determine our next steps,” the agency said, as quoted by Stuff.
“Where there are work activities involved, we expect those responsible to take all reasonable steps to prevent harm.
“Failures in these systems can have devastating consequences. WorkSafe will take appropriate action once we have established the facts,” Stuff has quoted.