A thief in the night is leaving tamariki in cold water at Barnardos Hornby Pasifika Early Learning Centre.

In the last six months, the gas hot water system has been stolen four times, which has meant the centre has had to close due to its licensing requirement to provide hot water. This has meant parents and caregivers in Hornby Pasifika have had to find alternative arrangements for the day.

“We’ve tried all sorts of things to hold on to our gas hot water system”, says Barnardos Centre Manager Sarah Naqova. “We’ve notified local police, security brackets were installed around the system but the culprit is still to be apprehended.

“We’re now appealing to people for donations to help us bring our gas system inside the early learning centre”, says Ms Naqova. “We’ve received an estimated cost of $15,000 to bring the hot water system into the centre and any local support to do this would be appreciated.”

The Hornby centre is calling for the community to look out for anyone selling multiple hot water systems and to call the local police centre if they have any leads.

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