Retail crime in New Zealand appears to be entering a new phase, with fewer incidents involving violence or weapons reported by major retailers.
Fresh data from Auror, the New Zealand-founded retail crime intelligence platform used in more than 50,000 stores globally, indicates a measurable improvement across the first ten months of 2025.
Auror’s reporting shows a decline in the most serious forms of offending. Incidents involving weapons fell by 12 percent, violent events dropped by 6 percent, and threatening behaviour eased by 5 percent when compared with the same period in 2024.
This shift suggests that coordinated effort between retailers, police and government agencies is beginning to gain traction, particularly in surfacing repeat offenders earlier and responding in a more targeted way.
The contrast with Australia is notable. Australian retailers recorded increases across all key indicators over the same period, including a 12 percent rise in the use of weapons, a 17 percent lift in violent events, and a 20 percent increase in threatening behaviour.
Against that backdrop, New Zealand’s progress stands out and points to the value of earlier adoption of shared intelligence tools and more structured collaboration.
Auror co-founder and chief executive Phil Thomson said retailers are now recording fewer incidents involving weapons, violence or threats, although the overall problem remains significant.
Thomson noted that the improvements reflect stronger focus from government and police, and a more consistent use of technology among larger retail groups. The next challenge, he said, is ensuring these gains extend to smaller retailers that may not yet have the same resources or systems in place.
Auror’s data continues to show the scale of the issue. Around one in five retail crime events still involves intimidation, threats, violence or the use of a weapon. The top 10 percent of offenders are responsible for more than 60 percent of all retail crime, and these repeat offenders are six times more likely to be violent.
Thomson said frontline workers continue to face unacceptable levels of aggression, although the downward trend offers some optimism.
Auror and its partners have set a long-term goal of reducing violent retail crime by half within five years. The company maintains that improved intelligence sharing, consistent reporting and close cooperation with police remain essential to sustaining the momentum now emerging in 2025.
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