Harcourts employees filmed wearing blackface at national conference

Eight Harcourts staff members have been filmed with blackface costumes at the company's annual national conference this week. Photo / Supplied

Harcourts employees who dressed in blackface costumes to a company event have caused offence.

The real estate agency's national conference was held at Auckland's SkyCity Convention Centre this week.

Footage uploaded to Facebook by photobooth company Ouisnapnz on Wednesday showed eight or nine people dressed in blackface.

They appeared to be dressed as the Cameroon Commonwealth Games team, wearing black wigs and their faces covered in black paint.

The footage now appears to have been taken down.

Blackface is a form of theatrical make-up used predominantly by non-black performers to represent a caricature of a black person.

It originated in the United States in the early 19th century when it was used in minstrel shows. These featured comic skits, music and dancing to mock people of African descent.

Harcourts chief executive Chris Kennedy told Stuff the group were told that others at the party were offended by the black makeup. "As there was no intention to offend they were responsive to the concerns and left."