A Taranaki supermarket has removed a Facebook post banning high school students in uniform from its store hours, after publishing it, now saying all students are welcome to shop there.
New World Stratford had banned Stratford High School students in uniform from entering unless they were accompanied by a parent, caregiver or teacher – blaming a "significant increase in theft" by a small number of students.
Owner-operator David Abetz said the post was taken down while the store addressed the issue directly with the school.
"To be clear, all students are welcome to shop at our store whether they are in uniform or not," he said.
Abetz said the store had an ongoing issue with theft and was working closely with the school to resolve that.
In the since-deleted post to Facebook, a supermarket spokesperson said the decision had not been made lightly, but it had a responsibility to keep customers and staff safe. The restriction would apply "until further notice", the store said.
"Unfortunately, the actions of a small number of students have resulted in a significant increase in theft, and this has meant we've had to make a difficult decision that affects the wider student community," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson acknowledged the measure would affect many students who had done nothing wrong.
"We recognise that this means the actions of a few have impacted many, and we genuinely appreciate that the vast majority of students are respectful, responsible and valued members of our community," they said.
Students accompanied by a parent, caregiver or teacher would still be welcome in-store, with the spokesperson saying the store hoped the restriction would be temporary.
"We hope this will be a temporary measure and that, by working together with students, parents, caregivers, teachers and the wider school community, we can return to normal store access as soon as possible," they said.
Stratford High School principal Cameron Stone told 1News students had been disciplined at school, parents had been notified, and those parents were asked to take the students back to New World to pay and apologise.
Stone said the school was aware of the issue and the supermarket's decision. While it had been difficult to identify students in some cases, it had been able to in others, he said.
He said the school was regularly talking to students about expectations, including about this issue.
"There will continue to be education about impacts on others and unpack reasons why this is occurring – as we have already done with those identified."
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