About PhoneStraps.co.nz online store

Hi, my names Melleny, and I've set up PhoneStraps.co.nz online store. Thanks for taking the time to visit. I know you are probably wondering whether this is a real store or a fake, and why anyone would bother with a site for such a specific product. 

I had the privilege of spending several months in Europe this year, and quickly noticed how many people in Europe use phone straps and phone lanyards. 

I'd seen phone charms in New Zealand - decorative beaded items that connect with a thin thread to your phone case - but not phone straps and lanyards. There were a zillion styles and colours of straps - some personal fashion statements with ruffles and fur trim - some just simple and practical. 

As an independent traveller, I quickly realised why phone straps were so popular - my life was on my phone. My tickets, accommodation details, credit card, contacts. And my phone was the first tool I would turn to if I lost any of those things.

Losing my cell phone out of my hand into the canal as I snapped photos from a rocking gondola boat in Venice was a stupid risk to be taking. 

Sadly, there is also a lot of phone theft in Europe. Some is traditional pickpockets, who will find a way into your purse or target those who carry a phone in their back pocket. But what is more scary and remarkable (coming from quiet little NZ) is the rise in phone snatching. 

Phone snatching is where someone literally snatches your phone out of your hand while you are using it. They might use an electric scooter or bike to come along side you in the street. The purpose of that approach is to get your phone while it is unlocked - depending on the model they can then alter settings to make wiping it and reselling it easier - or to access personal info on the phone they can utilise. 

The scale and sophistication of the market for stolen phones is of such a scale that The Economist discussed the industry in several articles and podcasts published in July - August 2025. 

So I'm on a bit of a mission - to introduce phone straps and lanyards to the New Zealand market. Hopefully we won't need them because of an impending crime wave (although it would be nice if we got ahead of the issue and discouraged anyone with ideas). But because its a really obvious sensible precaution we can all take to stop ourselves, our kid, our elderly parents, from dropping their expensive cell phone. 

 You can read more about why I think phone straps are such a good idea here. 

And if you are still concerned about whether I'm a real person or a scammer in the internet universe, you can find my personal home page here. 

Also - a shout out to Joël de Vriend on Unsplash for the main cover image. Taken in Valencia, one of my favourite places that I visited on my travels. 

Talk soon!

Mel