More than 200 children and pets have been rescued from locked, hot vehicles over the past two months prompting a warning lives are being put at risk.
The AA has reported an alarming spike in emergency call-outs to its roadside rescue service this summer with about 210 trapped youngsters and animals freed from stifling vehicles across New Zealand.
National Roadservice manager John Healy said this was up 20 per cent for the same time last year and very troubling.
"These types of lockouts are happening far more often than people think," said Mr Healy.
"AA Roadservice officers attended more than 1500 emergency call-outs last year - that's 1500 times a child or animal was put at risk because they were either consciously left in a vehicle, or car keys were accidentally lost or locked inside with them."