The “significant problem” of retail crime in New Zealand is reducing, according to research from the global retail crime intelligence company, Auror.

Between January and October 2025, Auror said the use of weapons fell by 12 per cent, violent events dropped by 6 per cent, and threatening events for retailers were down by 5 per cent.

The figures juxtapose the trends in Australia, where the use of weapons rose by 12 per cent, violence by 17 per cent, and threatening behaviour by 20 per cent.

“While both violent and non-violent crime targeting retailers remains a significant problem, we are now seeing retailers record fewer incidents involving weapons, violence and threats of violence,” Auror co-founder and CEO, Phil Thomson, said.

“This is an important milestone in the work being done to get on top of this issue as a country, and shows New Zealand is leading the way.”

Auror’s findings also show that the top 10 per cent of offenders cause over 60 per cent of all retail crime.

“There is still much more to be done – violence in retail is still a huge challenge and is impacting frontline workers,” Thomson added.

“But, we can see green shoots – Auror’s mission with our partners is to reduce violent retail crime by 50 per cent in 5 years, and these trends are fantastic to see as we work to turn the tide on this issue.

“There is no substitute for the incredible work police do in our communities, or the work retailers do to keep us all safe when we shop, but through technology and strong collaboration, we can help them be as effective and efficient as possible, and drive these rates down further.”