Facial Recognition

What we’ve done

In January 2026, we completed a three-month trial of FR in three stores across Christchurch as part of our response to serious retail crime. During the trial there were 531 confirmed matches with repeat offenders of retail crime, with no misidentifications. 

We found repeat offenders were less likely to return to stores using FR, and incidents involving threatening or harmful behaviour decreased, reducing the risk to customers and team members. 

Having demonstrated the technology can be used with high accuracy while respecting customer privacy, we will introduce FR to further stores where it makes sense. Each store will undergo privacy, legal, and risk assessments before implementation, and prominent signage will alert customers that FR is in use. We will continue to monitor system performance and will update the list of stores using FR on this website. 

How we are using FR

Everyone deserves to feel safe at work and when shopping. Unfortunately, we’re seeing some people repeatedly target our stores, even after being trespassed. When someone is involved in serious retail crime in one of our stores, our specialist, trained team reviews the incident/s. Only after careful assessment is an individual added to the FR watchlist. 

The FR system collects the image of everyone that enters an FR store and checks it against the images of individuals on the FR watchlist. If the system detects that a person on the watchlist has entered a FR store, the system sends an alert to trained staff at the store. 

Two trained team members manually review the alert, decide whether it is a match, and if so, what response is appropriate. This may include observing the person, contacting Police, or intervening to ask them to leave the store - if it is safe to do so. 

We understand people might have concerns about our use of FR. We have addressed some of the common concerns and the related facts about our use of FR here.

Safeguards and privacy

We take privacy extremely seriously. Before introducing FR, we engaged with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner and carried out a Privacy Impact Assessment. We have worked, and will continue to work, closely with privacy experts to ensure compliance with New Zealand’s privacy requirements.

Key privacy safeguards include:

• Clear and limited purpose. We are using FR for the sole purpose of improving the health and safety of our team members and customers by reducing the harmful behaviour of repeat offenders.
• Only people who have previously been involved in repeat incidents of retail crime or displayed violent, threatening or aggressive behaviour in our stores are entered into the FR watchlist – this is done by our specialist, trained team.
• Images of all other people who visit the FR stores that are not on the FR watchlist are not kept and are instantly deleted.
• The FR system is calibrated to a high threshold and will only send an alert where it detects a match.
• All FR system matches are manually reviewed and verified by two trained FR store team members before any action is taken.
• No images of minors (being people under the age of 18) or vulnerable people are entered into the FR watchlist.
• FR use is limited to the stores listed below.
• Each FR store displays clear signage informing customers that FR is in use.

FR store locations

• New World Stanmore, 288 Stanmore Road, Richmond, Christchurch 8013
• New World St Martins, 92 Wilsons Road, St Martins, Christchurch 8023
• PAK’nSAVE Moorhouse, 297 Moorhouse Avenue, Sydenham, Christchurch 8011
• PAK’nSAVE Papanui, 171 Main North Road, Redwood, Christchurch 8051

Questions or concerns

If you have questions or concerns, please email [email protected].