'Nothing like the images': Shoppers slam Hong Kong-based toy company posing as locally owned
Parents are raising concerns over a toy brand presenting itself as New Zealand-owned and operated, using Māori language and imagery while shipping its products from overseas.
Mytamariki describes itself as a Kiwi-focused company making “simple, thoughtful” educational toys to support New Zealand families.
Alongside a logo depicting a Kiwi bird embracing its baby chick, the retailer uses a .nz domain and sells kids’ products it says are “inspired by modern family life in New Zealand”.
While Mytamariki says it caters “for little tamariki and growing families across New Zealand” on its Facebook page, the company’s website refers to a service address in Hong Kong’s New Territories for its parent company Minao Limited, which is linked to numerous dropshipping storefronts targeting overseas markets.
Itself headquartered in central Hong Kong, Minao Limited has run similar Shopify-hosted schemes in countries such as Germany (wolkenschaukel.de) and Sweden (svenskabarnhem.se), attracting customers by incorporating places and names familiar to them into the same e-commerce framework.
Mytamariki’s website features images of Kiwi children that appear to be AI-generated, alongside backdrops of New Zealand landscapes and references to tamariki (children) throughout the site.
One advertisement depicts a young girl with a facial tā moko building a solar satellite construction set sold by Mytamariki.
Google Reverse Image Search shows similar products for sale on Amazon and Aliexpress for as little as $29.14 and $1.73 respectively.
A banner at the top of the homepage also advertises a 50% off winter sale – a tactic Consumer NZ has previously identified as one of several common warning signs associated with so-called “ghost stores”.
With an average Trustpilot rating of 1.8 out of five stars from 45 reviews – the overwhelming majority one-star – Mytamariki has faced growing criticism as more customers complain after receiving their orders.
Many recent Trustpilot reviewers said they believed they were buying from a New Zealand business before discovering their orders were being shipped from overseas.
Others alleged the products were significantly smaller or lower quality than advertised, while several said returning items was impractical because of the associated shipping costs.
Mytamariki sells kids’ products it says are “inspired by modern family life in New Zealand”, with a logo depicting a Kiwi bird embracing its baby chick and a website that uses a .nz domain.
One recent customer called the brand “misleading”, saying they believed they were supporting a local business before receiving what they described as “Temu quality goods”.
Another warned shoppers the products were “nothing like the images portrayed” and claimed returning them to China was prohibitively expensive.
“Might as well buy from Temu,” one customer wrote in June.
“I got a My First Farm Book with felt pieces that fell out. The quality is not good ... It looked a lot bigger and better quality in the picture.”
Mytamariki has publicly responded to many of the Trustpilot reviews, apologising that customers’ experiences did not meet expectations.
In multiple responses, the company said it continually reviews its product descriptions, imagery and quality standards in response to feedback, and pledged to continue to do so.
The Herald has approached Mytamariki for comment.
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