He said his daughter suffered “a lot of scars to her head” but was now “disconnected from all medicine” and walking unaided.
They were now waiting for her to tick all the boxes before being discharged from hospital.
The father said his family was now focused on the “psychological damage” she suffered in the attack.
“She has post-traumatic stress in her own way,” he said.
“Because she is young and children at that age undergo it in a different way compared to adults, so most of the time she behaves normally but from time to time she asks questions about what has happened and similar things.”
Police at Myers Park after the alleged playground attack. Photo / Zebedee Tupai
A 20-year-old man was arrested and charged with attempted murder shortly after the incident about 4.45pm on Sunday.
Police said he and the child did not know each other.
The accused was absent from his hearing at Auckland District Court on Tuesday as he remained in hospital with serious self-inflicted injuries.
Judge Nicola Mathers granted the man interim name suppression. He is yet to make a plea.
The case is expected to be called again in November. He faces a maximum sentence of 14 years’ imprisonment if convicted.
The 20-year-old man charged with attempted murder could not appear in court due to self-inflicted injuries. Photo / Zebedee Tupa’i
Police have since announced additional foot patrols around Myers Park, with Auckland central area prevention manager Inspector Beth Houliston acknowledging the incident would have been confronting for residents.
Auckland City Residents Group chairman Anthony Phillips said residents had been calling for an increase in community policing for years, but warned that even a significantly larger police presence could not necessarily prevent such attacks.
“The city centre is an area of high need. There’s a lot of vulnerable people living in the city centre, so it’s difficult to have eyes and patrol people at every hotspot,” he said.