Chain pulls 'toy' lighters off shelf

Lighters that look like toys will no longer be part of Mitre 10's range in its nationwide stores.

Questions from NZME. sees leading retailer stop selling novelty items that could be a danger to children.

A leading hardware retailer has pulled novelty lighters off its shelves after inquiries by NZME. News Service about the danger to children.

Mitre 10 has removed novelty lighters - commonly used to light barbecues or gas hobs - in the shape of plastic tools such as hammers and screwdrivers from their core range.

A child playing with a novelty lighter that looked like a gun started a house fire in Hamilton on November 9. The fire claimed the life of 3-year-old O'rlandau Kingi-Day.

His mother Cherie Kingi remains in hospital with serious burns.

The death prompted national fire investigation manager Peter Wilding to re-issue his call for the novelty lighters to be banned.

They are not classified as cigarette lighters, and therefore do not have to meet the same child resistance standards.

He said the news Mitre 10 had decided to remove novelty lighters from its range "made his day".

"I think it shows Mitre 10 as being a very good corporate citizen and very mindful of community safety. Full marks to Mitre 10 on taking such a strong lead."

General manager of marketing for Mitre 10, Dave Elliott, said some individual stores could elect to sell the lighters outside of the core range.

Mr Wilding said he didn't think Mitre 10 was the only stockist of novelty lighters, but inquiries made by NZME. to other similar retailers failed to reveal other stockists.

"It's a great start. If we can get major retailers to follow we will reduce access to these products by a very significant percentage until such time they'll be lawfully banned," Mr Wilding said.

"To be fair to retailers, they're not illegal."

Mr Wilding wants to see regulations change to make novelty lighters banned in New Zealand.

"Many of the novelty lighters out there are very, very easy to ignite ... If a little hand gets hold of them they can easily ignite them.

"There's just no need for them, we can have good child-resistant quality lighters, but we don't need to dress them up and make them look like toys.

"We have proposed an amendment of the regulations over a number of areas, but one of those is to ban novelty lighters, which brings us in line with Australia and a lot of the rest of the world."

Over a five-year period to 2013 there were 199 fires started by children under five.

The majority of those were from children playing with lighters and matches, Mr Wilding said.

Last year there were four car fires started from children playing with lighters or matches in a vehicle.

While novelty lighters are still for sale there will be more fatal fires, Mr Wilding said.

"It will happen again, and that's the thing that really churns my gut, we know it's going to happen again.

"They are attractive, a lot of them have flashing lights and they make funny noises ... and children will toddle over and pick them up to play with without knowing what they are."

A spokesman for Minister of Consumer Affairs Paul Goldsmith said work was under way to review the current legislation around lighters.

"Part of this review includes an examination of whether there is a case for implementing a ban on child-appealing novelty lighters.

"The Minister will be watching the outcomes of this review with interest."