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Environmentalists have accused The Warehouse of endangering wildlife by releasing 13,000 red helium balloons to celebrate the store's 25th birthday.
The balloons were released at Dairy Flat on Tuesday, a move that prompted an angry response from as far away as Australia where balloons are considered dangerous to wildlife.
Lance Ferris, of Australian Seabird Rescue, contacted the Herald to say such releases invoked the ire of hundreds of researchers, scientists, and marine wildlife rehabilitators around the world.
"As opposed to some beliefs, latex balloons can take up to 12 months or more to break down in a marine environment. Meanwhile, along with other plastic pollutants, each balloon, or piece thereof, has the potential to contribute to the deaths of hundreds of marine creatures."
Mr Ferris sent supporting evidence of the damage balloons can do, including a photo of a shredded balloon pulled from the innards of an ailing giant petrel from a beach in New South Wales where mass releases of helium balloons are illegal.
The balloons are considered a choking or digestion hazard for marine life including turtles and birds.
Robert Webb, of the Whangarei Native Bird Recovery Centre, agreed to the need for such bans, saying balloons could be mistaken for food.
Mr Webb said he had at times retrieved balloon fragments stuck down the throats of ducks in Whangarei.
The Warehouse said last night that it now regretted the mass balloon release to mark its birthday. No harm was intended.
