Student Retail Theft From Kmart Part of a Wider Societal Issue, Says Deputy Principal; Westfield Security Powerless

4 March 2025. The New Zealand Reporter is a member of The NZ Media Council. This Article: student retail crime. Two secondary schools respond.

Student retail theft is a societal issue, says the Assistant Principal of a Christchurch secondary school. His response followed, a brazen daytime theft from Kmart allegedly involving one of the secondary school’s students.

He said the theft was the first he had known of in his 10 years with the school.

A Kmart worker said the trio and other similar groups had been trespassed but had continued to return to the store.

Westfield security were powerless to stop the trio from leaving the mall.

This daytime theft follows the government’s announcement that it intends to beef up citizen’s rights to detain people suspected of committing a crime.

“I have reached out to Kmart to obtain footage so we as a school can identify the student and if they are from [redacted]. If that is the case then as stated on the phone we will go through our conflict and disciplinary processes internally as a school which will then involve Kmart well. I have talked to the manager and he said he will get back to me by the end of the day with the footage. He is well aware of the incident and is happy to work with us as a school.”

Assistant Principal allegedly connected to one of the students.

Editor’s note: He has asked that the school’s name not be published until the student’s have been identified.

That student and two students from a second secondary school took part in the theft of a Squishmallows toy. According to a Kmart worker they valued at about $50.