A major New Zealand retailer has been fined more than $200,000 after selling a children’s toy found to pose a choking hazard to young children.
According to a report by 1News, the company, The Warehouse Ltd, was ordered by the District Court to pay $234,000 over the sale of its Roo Crew Take-Apart Vehicle Toys. The products had been available in stores from March 2021 until they were recalled in January 2024, as reported by 1News.
According to the Commerce Commission, the toys contained small detachable parts that created a choking risk for children under the age of three. Head of fair trading and product safety investigations, Simon Pope, said testing revealed multiple components could come loose, as reported by 1News.
"Multiple parts came off each variation of the toy, and they failed small parts testing," Pope said, as quoted by 1News.
"While the toys did carry some warnings, they were labelled and marketed for use by children aged 36 months or under," as quoted by 1News.
The investigation also found the toys were placed in store aisles alongside products intended for children aged five and under, potentially increasing the likelihood they would be used by younger children.
Under the Fair Trading Act, toys designed or marketed for children under three must meet strict safety standards, including a requirement that they do not contain small parts that could detach during play.
According to 1News, Pope emphasised the seriousness of such breaches, stating: "We take our role in enforcing the standard seriously, and will act where we see non-compliance, which can have dire consequences."
He added: "Businesses should take steps to ensure the products they supply comply with legal requirements. Any labelling applied to the toy needs to align with the age appropriateness of the toy," as quoted by 1News.
According to 1News, in response, The Warehouse defended the product, maintaining it did not pose a real danger to children. A company spokesperson said the toys were "safe all along and no child has ever been injured".
"The Commission’s key grievance was the packaging, not the toy itself. It related specifically to an image of a child who appeared to be under three years old, despite our clear and prominent age warnings on the packaging. We are grateful that the Court reached the same view on this," as quoted by 1News.
The spokesperson added that the company had acted promptly by removing the toy from sale and expressed frustration over the length of the case.
"The Warehouse removed the safe toy from sale immediately," they said, adding the issue had been pursued for more than two years, 1News has quoted.
They also raised concerns about overseas online retailers, saying: "What is disappointing is that over that time, countless toys have been sold to Kiwi families by offshore online retailers, which have been shown to fall seriously short of New Zealand’s product safety requirements," as quoted by 1News.
Reaffirming its stance, the company said: "The Warehouse has, and always will, treat the safety of our customers as a non-negotiable priority."