Summarised by Centrist
Former Green MP Golriz Ghahraman’s recent Royal Oak Pak’n Save incident—reportedly involving goods worth less than $150—was logged by Foodstuffs into Auror, a retail crime database covering 90% of New Zealand retailers.
Although the supermarket chain did not report the incident directly to police, questions remain about whether police accessed the information through the system. Officers later attempted to use the event in Ghahraman’s unsuccessful High Court appeal.
Auror, a New Zealand company founded in 2012, is a rapidly growing retail crime reporting platform that allows retailers to upload incidents, photos, and data on suspected thieves, enabling police to access the information even without formal complaints. Its clients include major global retailers like Walmart and Woolworths.
According to the company, “retailers choose to make this information available to law enforcement.” Critics argue this blurs privacy lines. Documents reveal a “partnership” where police heavily promote Auror and access its data daily. Past abuses of Auror include instances where police fabricated crimes– to gain enhanced access to the platform’s number plate tracking features, as revealed in a 2022 audit.
Australian police have used it without privacy assessments, and critics argue it undermines due process by enabling surveillance-driven policing.
