A Dunedin woman contacted the Otago Daily Times on Thursday to say she was shocked to see Nazi memorabilia for sale at Proctor Auctions in Dunedin.
However, auction house owner Ronnie Proctor said the items were part of history, destined for private collections and the business was not promoting or condoning Nazi ideals.
Among listings of vintage furniture, ornaments, coins and jewellery are lots linked to World War 2, including about two dozen relating to Nazi Germany.
The woman, who declined to be named, said some of the listings were "quite intense", such as a reproduction Waffen-SS visor cap, wore by officers in the combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary Schutzstaffel, or SS, organisation.
"Are they aware of what they are selling?" she asked.
She contacted the auction house to question why they were selling the items and said she was told they were part of history and they had decided to sell the items.
Items could land in the hands of a neo-Nazi, who she felt would use them to their advantage.
The woman had deleted her account at the auction house in protest.
Mr Proctor confirmed the auction house had been contacted by a woman concerned about some of the items for sale.
"Our big thing is ... if you forget about history, then you're bound to repeat history.
There were no reserves on the items up for auction.
The military items had come from two private, New Zealand collections and Mr Proctor expected they would be purchased for historical, "not neo-Nazi reasons".
"We don't have skinheads coming in here and buying the things like that for regalia."
He said most items had come into the country by way of returning New Zealand soldiers.
