"We wish to advise our customers that ALL mermaid tails and fins are no longer permitted in any Auckland Council Leisure facility," the post stated. "The ban is in response to the dangers associated with these products."
The post listed the hazards, citing the products ability to hinder children's movement while swimming and promote prolonged underwater swimming leading to blackouts.
Auckland Council leisure manager, Rob McGee encouraged parents to keep the accessories at home to ensure one-on-one supervision, after they became popular Christmas gifts.
"While they are designed for competent swimmers to use in the water, even the manufacturers recommend one-to-one supervision - which we can't give in public pools," McGee told the New Zealand Herald.
Eric Browning, a chief executive of mermaid tail manufacturer FinFun, told One News that he supported New Zealand's efforts to keep children safe, but questioned necessity of an outright ban.
"The last thing we want is some child being involved in an accident using our product," Browning said. "But it does seem a little extreme. It's like a child has an accident on a snowboard so you ban all snowboards."
New Zealand became the third country to impose restrictions on mermaid tails, after the product was banned from public pools in the UK and Australia.
