Source: Radio New Zealand
Customers were advised to return Uniti products to a Warehouse store, where they would receive a full refund. Supplied
The Warehouse has recalled its Uniti sand art products, because of asbestos.
The Warehouse Group chief legal and corporate affairs officer Silv Roest said Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) testing found traces of asbestos from the same batch of a Uniti Sand Art Unicorn set.
As a precaution, they were recalling all Uniti sand products.
“As soon as concerns about asbestos in sand products emerged in New Zealand last year, we took action. We arranged independent testing of all our sand products with a fully accredited laboratory and the results showed that no asbestos was detected.
“While MBIE’s test result differs, all that matters is the safety of the families who shop with us and our team members. That’s why we’re recalling these products and treating them as containing asbestos as a precaution.
“We’re very sorry for any worry and inconvenience this will cause and we’ll do everything we can to help our customers through this recall.”
Some 4678 units of Uniti products had been sold at The Warehouse and Warehouse Stationary Stores across the country, since they went on sale in January 2025 (Octopus and Monkey sets) and September 2025 (Unicorn and Dinosaur sets).
Roest said the product was unlikely to have been used in schools or early childhood centres, because the products were designed for individual use, and not classroom or group settings.
Customers were advised to return Uniti products to a Warehouse store, where they would receive a full refund.
The product was unlikely to have been used in schools or early childhood centres. Supplied/The Warehouse
Store team members and signage would direct customers to the correct bin for safe disposal.
People were asked not to bring unsealed sand inside the store for safety reasons.
The Warehouse said MBIE testing did not detect airborne asbestos, which poses the greatest health risk. The release of airborne fibres was very unlikely, unless the sand was mechanically crushed and inhaled.
Customers who have purchased any Uniti sand art products are asked to carefully follow MBIE’s guidance:
Uniti sand range and barcode information:
- Uniti Sand Art Unicorn – Barcode: 9401113491869
- Uniti Sand Art Octopus – Barcode: 9401097407276
- Uniti Sand Art Monkey – Barcode: 9401097407269
- Uniti Sand Art Dinosaur – Barcode: 9401113420944
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
