A supermarket chain accused of racial profiling has apologised to a Maori teenager after falsely labelling her a thief.

Aorangi Himiona-Kawana, 19, was grocery shopping with her mother and two brothers on Wednesday, when she was approached by Countdown on Broadway staff in Palmerston North and accused of shoplifting.

The teenager said she was embarrassed to be confronted in front of other shoppers and falsely accused.

Her mother, Pania Kawana, who is a lecturer in Palmerston North, said there could have been some racial profiling involved.

As an adult, she had experienced racial profiling before, but her daughter had not. Nor had her daughter ever been accused of theft.

It is understood the staff member had seen something that had looked suspicious on the store's CCTV footage, and had confronted the 19-year-old at the self checkout.

Countdown has since apologised to the family and admitted there was "a genuine misunderstanding".

Broadway store manager Karlene Ormsby said she met with the family to resolve the matter.

"Since our meeting, I have followed up with the family to check in, and I understand they are satisfied with our explanation and the steps we've taken.

"We have apologised in person for any distress this has caused."

Countdown was asked whether racial profiling could have occurred in this situation. It would not comment on the topic.

Kawana became upset and yelled at the staff member while she defended her daughter.

Kawana has since looked at the CCTV footage and said her daughter had been holding her wallet.

By looking at the footage from another angle, it was clear her daughter had not taken anything from the aisle shelves.

"It made me feel really bad – the way the lady was standing over me and accusing me," Himiona-Kawana said.

"She asked me to give back the box. I was like 'what box?."

She said she felt overpowered.

"It made me feel like they were targeting me."

She graduated from Mana Tamariki, a traditional Maori school in Palmerston North, in 2015.

Himiona-Kawana's aunt posted about the incident on Facebook.

Countdown's Facebook page commented on the post and stated it sincerely apologised for any distress caused.

Kawana said staff had offered her a voucher.

Himiona-Kawana said she did not want to cause any negativity towards the store or staff.

"I really don't want other people to experience that. It just made me feel so bad about myself.

"I really would like them to apologise directly to me."

University of Canterbury criminologist Greg Newbold said

people including the police regularly profiled others based on a range of factors, including ethnicity, appearance, facial expressions, clothing, tattoos, age, and what car the person was driving.

He said someone driving a Cortina, or wearing a gang patch, or a person doorknocking while wearing a hoodie, were situations where people were likely to be profiled, when in fact they could be harmless.