A District Court judge has convicted and fined a Christchurch sheepskin boot manufacturer for blatantly misleading consumers.
Mi Woolies has been fined $63,000 after pleading guilty in the Christchurch District Court to 10 charges of breaching the Fair Trading Act.
The charges brought by the Commerce Commission relate to false or misleading country of origin claims on the company's brand of UGG boots.
The commission said the swing tags and labels on the outside of the footwear implied that it was made in New Zealand when it was manufactured entirely in China.
Judge Gary MacAskill noted in his sentencing that it was clear Mi Woollies calculatedly and blatantly set out to mislead consumers.
