Tauranga native Colette Henare has a $10 juice voucher in her handbag that she doesn’t plan on redeeming this summer.

Using it, the junior accountant reasons, would be acknowledging it as fair compensation for the most frightening experience of her life.

The 22-year-old half-sister of National MP Tau Henare swallowed a long thin object that wedged in the bottom of her throat, and which she believes had been in her raspberry, peach and mint cocktail drink.

A terrified Colette finally got relief from what she suspects was a sharp piece of metal or plastic in a Tauranga Hospital theatre more than 12 hours later.

But days after the summer scare, Colette is still angry at the attitude of the company she says is responsible, Pluto Soup Juice and Salad Bar. Aside from the trauma it caused, she estimates the ordeal cost her $500 in lost wages (she did not qualify for paid sick leave) and expenses – and the $10 voucher she received from Pluto was a ‘disgraceful’ response.

Only a few weeks earlier Colette and Tau had farewelled their father Paul, who died in Thames Hospital from a smoking related illness.

Looking forward to a summer break after a stressful end to the year, Colette stopped by her regular juice bar for a healthy breakfast en route to work.

‘I was at my desk drinking it when I felt something sharp in my throat,’ Colette says. ‘I tried coughing and must have had two glasses of water but it wouldn’t move. It panicked me a bit. I haven’t had anything stuck in my throat before, especially something sharp.’

Later that morning at hospital, Colette had a miniature camera inserted via her nose so doctors could get a closer look.

‘They could see a lot of swelling and bleeding and damage to the vocal chords but the object itself was blocked by the swelling,’ Colette says.

‘They were just hoping that they’d be able to get it out in theatre.’ But just before Colette was put under anaesthetic, she was startled by a spray down her throat, which made her cough and splutter before passing out. When she awoke in the recovery ward a doctor told her the coughing fit must have dislodged the object because the surgeon could no longer find it.

‘I was disappointed because I wanted to see what it was and that also meant it was still somewhere else in my body,’ Colette says.

She returned to hospital in more pain two days later – this time with a blocked bowel – but that quickly passed naturally without surgical intervention.

Pluto owner Helen Kiernan, alerted to her customer’s health scare, told Colette she ‘would leave something in the till’ as a gesture of goodwill.

‘At no stage has Ms Henare contacted us regarding the issue of compensation,’ Helen told New Idea. ‘I would add that given there to be no identifiable act or omission on our part that caused the incident, I do not believe payment of compensation is appropriate.’

However, Colette is upset with Pluto’s reaction to the incident. ‘I was so disgusted I just about threw it [the voucher] away, but I thought I’d leave it in my bag as a reminder,’ Colette says.

‘I thought they’d at least compensate me for one of my [two] days off. I’m definitely not going to go back if they think giving me a $10 voucher is going to make it all OK.’