Questions over why ECE teachers were cleaning a fridge, which led to a “gas leak”

OPINION/ANALYSIS – October 2, 2025

A gas leak from a fridge at an Auckland early childhood centre resulted in three teachers being taken to hospital.

The incident, which occurred on October 14, 2024 at an Auckland early childhood centre, was widely reported by mainstream media at the time.

But how it happened has never been publicly revealed until now.

This article looks at what happened, the Ministry of Education and Worksafe findings, and questions why teachers were cleaning a fridge, adult-child ratios, and what training the teachers had been given on fridge cleaning to prevent such an incident.

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Questions over why ECE teachers were cleaning a fridge, which led to a “gas leak”

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