Samsung New Zealand on board with recall

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is built to withstand water but not spontaneous combustion. Photo / Getty

Technology giant Samsung is stepping up the urgency of its Galaxy Note7 recall after further cases of the product catching on fire.

Samsung Electronics New Zealand is following its global counterpart and encouraging all Note7 customers to stop using the device and return it for a replacement.

"To date we have proactively contacted all Note7 customers regarding the replacement offer through push communications to their devices, and our operators have supported our efforts by directly contacting their Note7 customers," a Samsung spokesperson said.

The company has also posted to its social media and placed a notice on its website encouraging users to immediately turn the device off and not continue using it.

Earlier this month, Samsung announced a global recall of 2.5 million Galaxy Note7s worldwide just two weeks after the phone was launched.

This came after an investigation into reports of the devices catching fire found rechargeable lithium batteries manufactured by one of its suppliers were faulty.

"It's still early days for the replacement programme so we do not have numbers of returned devices to share, but Samsung is fully committed to ensuring as many New Zealand customers as possible participate in the replacement programme," the New Zealand spokesperson said.

"We will be continuing to urge customers into action over the next two to three weeks until replacement Note7 devices arrive."