Kelvin Liu and his wife, May Liu, gave away pregnancy tests to the public outside their business, Pure Souvenir NZ in Hamilton.

On a city street in Hamilton lies a box on a chair outside a shop in Collingwood St. There, taped to the front is a piece of paper that reads, "free pregnancy test, one per person".

The box, once filled with about 50 pregnancy tests, is now empty.

Kelvin Liu, owner of Pure Souvenir New Zealand, decided to give away his last shipment of pregnancy tests for free to anyone who wanted one.

The box was empty after two days.

"Hence why we had to write the sign, one per person, because people were just grabbing them, very quickly," Liu said.

"We wanted to help New Zealanders. If you think you're pregnant, or you don't know then that's not good.

"So here you can take the test, and then go see a specialist."

Liu said it was his wife, and business partner, May Liu's​ idea.

"She said it is not cheap and some young women might not be able to buy them. So we try our best to help out."

Liu ordered them a while ago, and said they were near the expiry date. So rather than dispose of them he decided to give them away.

"We thought we would give them to the public. And we saw lots of people that were interested and taking them quickly," he said.

"We put out about 50, and within two days they were gone. The people seemed very happy."

However, Family Planning chief executive Jackie Edmond said while the thought was there, it was not ideal.

"I sort of applaud the idea, it's just it's possibly not ideal. [It] sounds like the motivation is not pure.

"I don't want to be unkind, but you just don't know who's going to pick it up. And poor parents could be stuck with having a conversation when they might not be interested in that just yet."

Edmond said Family Planning provide a range of services in regards to sexual health.

"We try to give things out with information for people that need it, not just randomly. So if you're under 22 it's free to come to us and you can get a free pregnancy test."

Although it was a one-off, Liu will look to order more pregnancy tests, but will sell them.

"We are still a small and new shop and cannot do it free in the long run. But in future, I hope to sell the tests to people at a price people can afford to buy."

The couple moved into the shop early May, and have split the store in two. Half is stocked with health-related products, and the other half is a wallpaper business.

"I am a wallpaper specialist, and my wife started the health shop. We combine both businesses as the cost was lower for us."