Two Bunnings Warehouse stores in Hamilton have rolled out the use of Facial Recognition Technology (FRT), sparking greater questions around ethics and cultural safety with the technology’s bias toward people of colour.
Bunnings Warehouse has seen threatening incidents double at its stores over the last four years, with 34 percent of the 697 incidents committed by repeat offenders. The company says it has installed the technology to reduce serious harm and high-value theft.
FRT has seen controversy due to known bias toward people of colour, as it relies largely on data of Caucasian faces, which has led to people being misidentified.
Tohunga Tā Moko, Mark Kopua, says that facial recognition technology can have a negative impact on wearers of Tā Moko.
“Mehemea ka whakamau ai te whakaahua o te tangata me te kore mārama te tangata kei te pupuri i tana whakaahua, he mahi tāhae tērā.” says Kopua.
“Ko te nuinga noa atu o tāku e mōhio ana he aha i tapu ai te moko, i tapu pērā i te tānga o te moko nā te mea kei te pakaru mai te toto o te tangata. I roto hoki i te toto o te tangata, te hau o te tangata”.
He says there are double standards in how the issue is thought about.
“Mehemea ka tāhaetia tēnā i roto i te āhua, kua tāhaetia pēnei te identity theft, koinā pea tētahi ia kōrero, tētahi wānanga mō tātou, mehemea he identity theft. Kāore tonu te tangata i te whakaae ki tērā.”
On the other hand, Kopua says that the world is changing and Māori will have to be aware of these challenges.
“Tae atu hoki ki te immigration, kei reira tētahi kāmera ka mau tonu i taku āhua i au e kuhu noa atu ki roto i tētahi whenua hou ki a au e hoki mai ana ki tō mātou whenua i konei..., engari kua mārama hoki nei tātou ki aua kāmera me ōna kaupapa. Ki te kore au e whakaae ki tērā, ka kore hoki au e hoki mai i te kāinga,” says Kopua.
The store contracted Māori Digital Expert, Dr Karaitiana Taiuru, who says he was grateful to be called on for support to help the stores set up protection measures to stop bias.
“So what we do know with facial recognition technology is it’s been inherently racist and bias” says Taiuru.
“In New Zealand, we know that the data sets that the facial recognition technology uses has been predominantly trained on American European faces. So, unless you’re a white Caucasian man, then you’re probably going to see some bias”.
Rotorua-based woman, Te-Ani Solomon, was subject to this bias when she was wrongfully removed from a New World store in 2024 after being misidentified as an offender by the software.
Taiuru says a photo was taken of Solomon after it scanned her as a match and was then sent offshore to Australia to be checked by people who misidentified her as an offender again.
Bunnings told Te Ao Māori News that photo checks will now instead come from two staff members in-house, and all members who check the scans will receive mandatory training that covers cultural safety.
“Our team training covers respectful engagement, including Mataora and Moko Kauae; and we have strong processes for responding respectfully to misidentifications, including a tikanga Māori pathway for anyone who seeks it”, they said in a statement.
Janelle Riki-Waaka, Māngai Māori for Māori at Digital Identity New Zealand, says she is happy with the stores’ choice to engage Māori, but is still concerned about the safety of the data and what is in store for the future.
“How do we know it’s safe? How will we know that they don’t get hacked? ... Even the ones kept for 10 seconds, how do we know that a hacker can’t get those?” says Riki-Waaka.
The technology reportedly only keeps pictures of those who match records of offenders in its database; however, if a person is misidentified, Bunnings says the imagery could take up to 72 hours to be deleted.
Riki-Waaka says she wonders where the stop line is.
“What does this mean in terms of the other doors that will open? Will we get to a place where we’re scanning kids’ faces as they enter school?” she says.
“At the end of the day, I can see the intent is good. It’s for the public safety... but there’s still so many unanswered questions.”
Taiuru says he believes Bunnings wanted to do it right and ensure Māori wouldn’t suffer during the rollout.
“Bunnings have gone well above and beyond any other store in New Zealand in its implementation, considering other stores are not genuinely engaging Māori despite it being an obligation in the Biometric Processing Privacy Code 2025″ he says.
He says that the technology is part of a new world that Māori may need to navigate and adjust tikanga for.
“When we use social media such as Instagram and Facebook, those international companies take ownership of and sell our biometric data and images of moko with no consultation and consideration of privacy laws,” says Taiuru.
“Around the world, FRT is everywhere and a part of everyday living. New Zealand is just catching up with the technology,” he says.
