Police plea for restraint selling whipping cream chargers, which contain laughing gas
Kumeu police are appealing to store owners to be socially responsible after reports of cream whipping devices being sold to youngsters.
A concerned resident alerted officers after she saw a Kumeu dairy owner allegedly selling whipping cream chargers, which contained laughing gas, to school children.
The complainant, the mother of a teenager, was frustrated by the incident, police said.
"The complainant had no doubt that the children were buying the product for inhalation and not for making cakes,"
Kumeu community constable Dimitry Pantileev said.
The charger was displayed at the front of the store by the Eftpos machine, he said.
Selling laughing gas, also known as NOS, nitrous oxide and nangs, for therapeutic purposes is banned under the Medicines Act 1981, which requires a prescription for the sale.
Using a cream dispenser or ‘’cracker’’, a small cannister filled with NOS, known as a cream charger, is released into a balloon, which is then inhaled for a short-lived but intense euphoric-like feeling.
However, the sale of the product within the food industry is legal, with nitrous oxide being used for cream whipping devices.
Under the current law, retailers selling the product must ensure it is not being used for therapeutical purposes, the Ministry of Health states.
Pantileev said shop owners should be socially responsible when it came to selling the chargers to children and should not display them in a prominent place.
".. we can only charge them if we can prove in court without reasonable doubt that the product they're selling is used for inhalation, " Pantileev said.
"It's possible but it's very difficult to prove that the person at the counter or the store owner had the knowledge that it was going to be inhaled."
Pantileev said perhaps it was time for a law change.
"On a broad spectrum, legislators need to look into that," he said.
"The desirable outcome is that the law change is implemented at least to forbid this product to be sold to minors and somehow to limit their display to the public."
A MOH spokeswoman in August said Medsafe had taken action in this area in the past and was currently investigating the issue.
“It is for the retailers to ensure they comply with the law and only supply products that could not be regarded as prescription medicines. Retailers should be aware of the potential for these products to be used for purposes that could constitute a therapeutic purpose. Having a means of ensuring customers had a legitimate purpose for purchasing the products would be wise.”
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🎄 Christmas 2025 Holiday Pay - What You Need to Know 🎄
🎄 Christmas 2025 Holiday Pay - What NZ Employers Need to Know 🎄
With Christmas fast approaching, it’s important to make sure your team is paid correctly over the holiday period - especially with holiday legislation changes on the horizon.
👉 Good news: For Christmas 2025, the current Holidays Act rules still apply.
Here’s a simple breakdown 👇
✅ Employees with 12+ months service
• Entitled to 4 weeks paid annual leave
• Pay the higher of:
👉 Ordinary Weekly Pay or Average Weekly Earnings
📌 Full-time example
• 8 hrs/day × 5 days = 40 hrs/week
• $1,200 per week = $240 per leave day
📌 Part-time example
• 3 hrs/day × 4 days = 12 hrs/week
• $300 per week = $75 per leave day
✅ Employees with less than 12 months service
• Not yet entitled to annual leave
• If your business closes down over Christmas, they must still be paid holiday pay for the closedown period (usually paid via payroll accruals or 8% of gross earnings under current law)
🎁 Christmas & New Year Public Holidays
• Christmas Day (25 Dec)
• Boxing Day (26 Dec)
• New Year’s Day (1 Jan)
✔️ If the day is a normal working day, employees are paid for it
✔️ If they work on a public holiday:
➡️ Time and a half + an alternative paid day off
🔔 Important – Changes Coming
The Holidays Act will eventually be replaced by a new Employment Leave Act, moving to hours-based leave accrual and simplified calculations.
⚠️ These changes are not in force yet, so Christmas 2025 still follows current rules.
💬 Need help checking your payroll or holiday calculations?
📧 Email: info@corefigures.co.nz
🌐 Website: corefigures.co.nz...
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