Schools across NZ, Australia close over play-sand asbestos
Monday, 17 November 2025
More than 20 schools and preschools across New Zealand have closed or are planning to close after asbestos was found in a brand of play sand - with four other products being of concern.
The Ministry of Education said it had received queries from 150 schools and 90 preschools that had used the product.
Australian media is reporting school closures in Canberra and Brisbane.
The sand products are imported from China and sold at KMart in New Zealand. The decorative coloured sand has been found to contain traces of chrysotile, also known as white asbestos.
As of 1pm on Monday the Ministry of Education had been in contact with 167 schools and 95 early learning services, Sean Teddy, hautū (leader) Operations and Integration at the Ministry of Education said.
“Sixteen schools and seven early learning services have informed us they are temporarily closed or planning to close to address possible contamination. Four of these schools and one early learning service are in Canterbury,” he said.
“We appreciate that the presence of asbestos in products that are used by children will cause worry for parents and caregivers. We recommend they contact Healthline with any health concerns they may have about their children who may have come into contact with these products,” Teddy said.
Schools and early learning services who have these products should follow WorkSafe’s advice - on Asbestos in coloured sand - he said.
“We are working closely with MBIE and WorkSafe to provide schools and early learning services with advice on testing, remediation and closure decisions.”
Kmart says risk from asbestos in sand products is low
Kmart, in a statement, stressed the risk to children and families was “low”.
“Importantly, respirable asbestos has not been detected in any of the tested samples. The test result indicated tremolite asbestos had been detected. The release of respirable asbestos fibres is unlikely to occur in its current state, unless the sand is processed by mechanical means such as crushing or pulverising.
“The risk that any asbestos found is likely to be airborne or fine enough for inhalation is low,” the statement said.
What products are potentially risky
On Saturday, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) published a statement confirming that four additional sand products, sold at Kmart had tested positive for asbestos.
It said these four products were not part of the original recall of EC Rainbow Sand and Creatistics Coloured Sand, but posed the same potential health risk.
The additional products are a 14-piece Sand Castle Building Set, and specific batches of Blue Magic Sand, Green Magic Sand and Pink Magic Sand.
MBIE’s advice to schools was to “stop using these products immediately, secure them and dispose them safely”.
In a statement it said: “We urge schools and early learning services who have purchased these products to stop using them immediately, secure them safely, and contact your local council for advice on where and how to dispose of the contaminated material safely.
“Where you have higher volumes of these products, you should contact a licensed asbestos assessor or removalist for immediate advice and support on your specific situation.”
Classrooms closed until further notice
In Canterbury, schools including Burnside, Spreydon, Gilberthorpe, Addington in Christchurch and Knights Stream and Clearview in Rolleston were closed. Many more posted on Facebook advising of partial closure, or of testing happening while they remained open.
Redwood Primary School in Christchurch sent out an alert to parents mid-morning Monday asking them to collect their children from the school hall.
In a message posted on Facebook on Sunday night, Burnside Primary School in Christchurch said it had been advised by WorkSafe to close on Monday as a precaution.
Burnside Primary principal Justin Perriam said sand sold at KMart had been used “in some areas of our school”.
“While the risk to our staff and students is very low, Worksafe has advised us to close [Monday] as a precaution so we can complete testing and ensure all our learning spaces are safe.”
St Albans School notified parents the colour sand product was used in two classrooms - Pūkeko 15 and 16 - as recently as Thursday. Those pupils would work in the hall on Monday.
“The classrooms were cleaned by our regular cleaners before we were made aware of the national recall. As soon as we received the information, we immediately removed and sealed all sand and have arranged independent testing of both the sand and the classroom. No staff or students will enter the room until the spaces have been assessed,” St Albans School told parents.
In a statement posted online on Saturday, Clearview Primary in Rolleston said it was also closed for urgent testing. The school had identified one home base that used the recalled Kmart product. Four other home bases have used different brands of sand or sand that was no longer in its original packaging, which meant its source could not be confirmed.
In its statement Clearview said that “at this stage, there is no immediate risk to staff or students”.
“However, out of an abundance of caution, we are closing the school on Monday, Tuesday and possibly Wednesday this week while all our teaching and learning spaces are professionally tested.”
Clearview said all classes and teaching spaces were closed with immediate effect until further notice.
Christchurch’s Spreydon School announced in an urgent notice, sent to parents Sunday, it would close on Monday while it awaited testing.
The school confirmed it had used the recalled Kmart product, but said none of the sand was currently in use in learning spaces.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we are closing the school on Monday while awaiting testing of the products. All classes and teaching spaces are closed with immediate effect until further notice.” The school’s board acknowledged the closure would be distressing and inconvenient for families but said safety had to come first.
Knights Stream School in Rolleston will remain closed until Tuesday, with further notice expected after testing of the affected sand products.
Addington Te Kura Taumatua would be closed Monday and Tuesday.
Rolleston-based Waitaha Specialist School said Class A licensed asbestos removal specialists were investigating and removing the affected sand from the base school and satellite areas.
“At this stage we are unsure of how long we will need to be closed,” principal Bernie Mulcahy-Bouwman said.
‘It gets everywhere’
Jessica Jordan’s home could potentially require a professional clean over the coming week if the worst fears about the sand are realised.
The Hamilton woman has grave concerns for the health of her children after learning the sand her daughter has been playing with could potentially be riddled with asbestos.
Jordan had bought the sand after her daughter Hazel spotted it while on a visit to KMart in August. It had proved a popular plaything.
“Hazel loves it, because she gets deep into her creative process … The Barbie dolls came out and she created a little beach scene.”
“It quickly spread out across the dining room table and it spilled onto the floor and has gotten into all kinds of other places.”
She was particularly concerned her 1-year-old son, Reuben, could have ingested some.
“It’s been in the house for months … I have been finding little smidgens of it in the bathroom. It definitely gets everywhere pretty fast.
“It may be fine. We may actually be a fine batch … but the not knowing is certainly causing some significant anxiety right now.”
What are the health risks?
A Worksafe spokesperson said the agency was “working rapidly with other agencies to assess the health risk posed by these products and will share more information when it is available.”
“At this stage we do not have enough information to quantify the risk to people’s health, but we advise people to take a precautionary approach and stop using the products.”
The spokesperson noted the “worry” the issue could cause parents and caregivers and said asbestos exposure could affect a person’s health “over the long term. People do not need to take any immediate steps to manage their health if they, or their children, have been exposed to these products.”
“Asbestos causes a rare form of lung cancer (mesothelioma) following inhalation. The risk of contracting cancer is high when exposed to airborne asbestos. The longer the exposure the greater the risk,” Professor of Toxicology Ian Shaw, from the University of Canterbury’s School of Physical & Chemical Sciences, said.
“'The children’s sand product asbestos contaminations are serious because the products are dry and played with which would cause asbestos fibres to become airborne and thus readily inhaled,” Professor Shaw added.
“The question is: how long have children been exposed to the asbestos contaminated product? This will significantly affect the cancer risk.”
The “rapid response” after contamination was found was “good” he said.
University of Technology Sydney, School of Life Sciences professor Brian Oliver told The Conversation parents would understandably be feeling worried about kids’ potential exposure to asbestos, but the risks in this case were low.
While all asbestos was dangerous, fortunately the most dangerous type – crocidolite asbestos or “blue” asbestos had not been reported as a contaminant in the sand, he said.
There were several possibilities how it got contaminated, he said. If the sand was taken from a beach then it is unlikely to be contaminated with asbestos. But if the sand was manufactured by crushing rocks, then potentially asbestos – which is a naturally occurring mineral – could have been in the source product.
Asbestos is still used as a heat-shielding material or as a building product in many places in the world. So it’s also possible the processes used to dye the sand could be another potential source of contamination, he said.
Asbestos is most dangerous when it becomes airborne and can be inhaled, for example during demolitions and renovations of older homes, where it was a common building material.
Inhaling any form of asbestos (fibres, dust, microparticles) can cause mesothelioma– a cancer that affects organ tissue, particularly the lungs – as well as lung cancer and asbestosis, a chronic lung disease that causes shortness of breath, Oliver said.
There is no safe level of exposure. However the risks increase with the amount you’re exposed to, he said.
This means a small amount can be dangerous. But those who encounter asbestos once or twice in small amounts have a far lower risk of developing health complications, compared to people continually exposed to large quantities, as we’ve seen in the construction and mining industries, he said.
We don’t have much research about the impact in children. But we know the younger someone is when exposed, the greater the risk is they will develop cancer or asbestosis. This is because the health effects can take decades to develop. So younger people have a higher chance of living long enough to see them emerge, he said.
Christchurch’s Te Kaha stadium recently tested 104 fire doors for potential asbestos contamination.
The issue came to light after supplier Pacific Door Systems discovered asbestos in some of its products, triggering a nationwide investigation by WorkSafe and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).
Christchurch City Council’s resource recovery manager Dr Alec McNeil said public guidance would be issued on disposing of the play sand, but urged residents not to put it in kerbside bins or leave at transfer stations.
He said contractors were aware of the risk of potentially handling disposed of play sand, but that handling was “generally minimal”.
Residents should follow advice on the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE) website, he added.
The council had received “about a dozen calls” from the public about the issue.
Advice for consumers:
Stop using the product immediately.
Ensure the sand is in a sealed container. If you need advice on how to do this, please contact a licensed professional.
Do not dispose of the product in general waste. WorkSafe strongly recommends engaging a Class A licensed asbestos removalist for safe disposal. A list of licensed removalists can be found on the WorkSafe website.
Once secure, we encourage people to reach out to the supplier to organise a refund under the Consumer Guarantees Act.
Clarification: The recall does not involve sand sold under the brand Kinetic Sand, trademarked by Spin Master Ltd. The company said its products were not subject to recall notices and have undergone rigorous testing to ensure they meet all regulatory standards and are safe for use. (Updated 5pm, November 19, 2025)