In 2024, the commissioner's office found Bunnings had taken customers' private information without consent, failed to take steps to notify them and left gaps in its privacy policy. "Bunnings was entitled to use (the technology) for the limited purpose of combating very significant retail crime and protecting their staff and customers from violence, abuse and intimidation within its stores," the tribunal said. The extent of retail crime faced by Bunnings staff and customers was one of the "important factors" in its ruling. Threatening situations were "the worst it has ever been", Bunnings' national investigations and security manager Alexander MacDonald told the tribunal. "Our intent in trialling this technology was to help protect people from violence, abuse, serious criminal conduct and organised retail crime."

Source: Otago Daily Times February 05, 2026 10:09 UTC