Major supermarkets across New Zealand have temporarily removed all knives and scissors from shelves following yesterday’s terror attack in Auckland.

Foodstuffs, which owns New World, Pak’nSave and Four Square have removed them, along with Countdown.

Countdown’s General Manager Safety, Kiri Hannifin, said “this is in no way a reflection on our customers, but an act of support for our team.”

“We want all of our team to feel safe when they come to work, especially considering the events of yesterday.”

“This morning many of our teams throughout New Zealand have taken some time to get together to talk, share a physically distanced cup of tea, and support each other following yesterday’s event in our Lynnmall store.”

“Our team is a family and when one of our stores is hurting, we all are. We’re very grateful to our customers who have supported our decision to open a little later, and for all the messages of support, we have received last night and today.”

“Our thoughts are with our customers who were injured and their families. We would also like to thank the emergency services for their support of our customers and team yesterday.”