Just months after Kmart was forced to recall children’s play sand contaminated with asbestos, The Warehouse and Warehouse Stationery have issued a voluntary public recall for its products after a test sample returned a positive reading.

The Uniti sand art product sold by the stores was tested by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), and showed traces of asbestos in one sample.

The Warehouse Group chief legal and corporate affairs officer Silv Roest said customer safety, especially the safety of children, was the retailer’s priority.

“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.

“We were recently approached by MBIE with a positive test result for traces of asbestos from the same batch of a Uniti sand art set. 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.”

The Warehouse and Warehouse Stationery have issued a voluntary public recall for its Uniti sand art products after a test sample returned a positive reading for asbestos.

The company confirmed that MBIE’s testing had not detected airborne asbestos, which is the form that poses the greatest health risk, and said the release of airborne fibres was considered “very unlikely” unless the sand was mechanically crushed and inhaled.

The group has sold 4678 units of the product since it went on sale in January 2025 (octopus and monkey variants) and September 2025 (unicorn and dinosaur variants).

The sand art sets are designed for individual use, and not for classroom or group settings. Because of this, The Warehouse Group believes it is unlikely the product has been used in schools or early childhood centres.

The following products have been identified by The Warehouse Group:

• Uniti Sand Art Unicorn - Barcode: 9401113491869
• Uniti Sand Art Octopus - Barcode: 9401097407276
• Uniti Sand Art Monkey - Barcode: 9401097407269
• Uniti Sand Art Dinosaur - Barcode: 9401113420944

The group is asking customers to stop using the product immediately and place it in a heavy-duty plastic bag, secured and out of reach of children.

The sealed product can then be returned to any The Warehouse or Warehouse Stationery store to allow team members to dispose of it correctly, with full refunds offered.

Customers have been asked not to bring unsealed sand inside stores. Store team members and signage will direct customers to the correct bins for safe disposal inside.

Tom Raynel is a multimedia business journalist for the Herald, covering small business, retail and tourism.