New Zealand barbershop sparks outrage by only serving men

A New Zealand barber has sparked outrage after refusing to cut a woman’s hair. 

The woman visited Carve Barbershop in Wellington early in January and asked for a short back and sides haircut.

A staff member refused to serve her, explaining that the shop does not cut women’s hair.

Carve Barbershop owner Matt Time defended the decision saying ‘men need a place… to go get a haircut, have a beer and discuss and chat freely and openly’.

He said he had received threatening comments online as a result, including one saying ‘go and kill yourself and I hope your daughter is raped’, the New Zealand Herald reported.

The woman, who wished to be known as Rachel, had visited the barbershop two years ago and assumed she would receive the same service as her previous visit.

She said she was ‘ticked off’ at not receiving a haircut from Carve.

The woman, who wished to be known as Rachel, had visited the barbershop two years ago and assumed she would receive the same service as her previous visit (stock image)

‘It was a pain in the bum and it reminded me that I have to make sure I know who cuts women’s hair and who doesn’t.  

‘I can’t understand why people think it’s acceptable. It’s discrimination. I just don’t get the reasoning. I’m not asking for anything outside of the services they provide.’

After being rejected from Carve she visited another barber nearby and promptly received the haircut she had requested.

Mr Time said they had previously cut women’s hair since opening in 2013, but four years later he ‘made the hard decision’ to stop.

Consumer New Zealand chief executive Sue Chetwin said disagreed with Mr Time’s view.

‘The fact that he thinks that men might go in there for counselling or to chat about boys things, he’s living in the past, he needs to move into the real world.’