Meta smart glasses released in New Zealand amid Australian bans

Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3) Wayfarer smartglasses, released in New Zealand today. Meta has released smart glasses in New Zealand today, with pairs co-branded with Oakley and Ray-Ban (both owned by Italian multinational EssilorLuxottica) – just as areas of Australia move to ban the so-called “pervert glasses”.

The companies said the launch marked the arrival of AI glasses in the NZ market, although some have already ordered earlier models from offshore and Kmart NZ has been selling a pair at a knockdown $99 (the retailer recently said it had sold out).

The line-up, for sale at retailers plus through Meta’s local AI glasses website, includes the Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer (Gen3), which will sell from $809 and the Oakley Meta Vangard, priced from $989.

The new models have much less chunky frames and are much less obviously “smart” glasses than earlier models.