A 43-year-old man has been released on bail after appearing in the Whakatāne District Court yesterday charged with two counts of assaulting a child, following an incident involving students walking and biking to school on Monday morning.

The man was remanded on bail and is due to reappear in court on March 31.

The incident involved students from St Joseph’s Catholic School.

Principal Jo Brady said she could not comment further as the matter was with the police, but shared the message sent to families after the event.

In her communication, Ms Brady thanked police for their swift response and outlined what had occurred.

“While biking to school along Salonika Street, a student was approached by an unknown male who jumped out and attempted to grab a student from his bike,” she wrote.

“Thankfully, the student and his friend were able to push the person away and continue safely to school.”

Ms Brady said the students involved had been spoken to and were being supported.

The school was also reminding tamariki about staying aware of their surroundings and travelling in pairs or groups where possible.

Safety messages reinforced with families included travelling with a friend, staying on well-used routes, not stopping for strangers, and reporting anything suspicious to a trusted adult.

New Zealand Police confirmed they received a report of a suspicious person near a school on Salonika Street just before 8.30am on Monday.

They said the man was arrested and appeared in court yesterday.

Whakatāne Senior Sergeant Cam MacKinnon said inquiries were ongoing into the circumstances and alleged motivations.

“We don’t believe there is any ongoing risk to the public.

“It can be considered an isolated incident,” he said.

Police reminded parents to remain mindful of their children’s safety travelling to and from school.

“The reality is we want to make sure they get there safe,” Mr MacKinnon said.