"Privacy commissioner inquiry finds supermarket facial recognition tech's use is justified", 4 June 2025

The Privacy Commissioner says facial recognition technology in supermarkets has potential safety benefits, despite raising significant privacy concerns.

An inquiry from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner into facial recognition trialled by Foodstuffs in the North Island found any business using facial recognition tech, or considering doing so, must ensure the system is set up correctly to stay within the law. ...

In December 2024, a woman took her case to the Human Rights Review Tribunal after she was wrongly kicked out of a Rotorua supermarket, claiming the technology was discriminatory.

There were nine instances of someone being approached by staff, but misidentified as the wrong person during the trial. In two cases, the shopper was asked to leave. ...

General counsel for Foodstuffs North Island Julian Benefield said the goal behind the FRT trial was to understand whether it could reduce harm while respecting people's privacy, saying it had succeeded in doing so.

"Retail crime remains a serious and complex problem across New Zealand," he said.

"Our people continue to be assaulted, threatened and verbally abused, and we're committed to doing all we can to create safer retail environments."

Benefield said privacy was at the heart of the trial.

He said an independent evaluator found the trial prevented more than 100 cases of serious harm, including assaults. ...