Sunny Kaushal is the chair of a ministerial advisory group on retail crime. Photo: RNZ / Calvin Samuel
- Ministerial Advisory Group for Victims of Retail Crime to disband four months early
- Winding up comes after three of its five members resigned
- Group's spending has come under fire.
The ministerial advisory group charged with tackling retail crime will be disbanded months earlier than planned after a string of resignations.
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has confirmed today that the group - which has faced criticism for its spending - will wind up in May.
The Ministerial Advisory Group for Victims of Retail Crime was originally set up for two years until September.
Confirmation of its early demise comes after RNZ revealed last month that three of the group's five members had resigned in recent weeks.
One of them - Retail NZ chief executive Carolyn Young - said her relationship with chairman Sunny Kaushal had become untenable.
Foodstuffs North Island senior manager Lindsay Rowles also resigned this year and Michael Hill national retail manager Michael Bell quit late last year.
This left just Kaushal and Hamilton liquor retailer Ash Parmar.
Young told RNZ Kaushal was not the right person to chair the group, which had an "unpleasant environment".
The advisory group is renting an office in this Symonds Street building. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
The group has faced criticism over its spending, including on catered meetings around New Zealand and for its inner-city Auckland office space, which is rented for $120,000 a year.
It has also faced questions about its value for money after it was revealed that Kaushal invoiced more than $230,000 for work in its first 12 months.
Kaushal has previously defended the group's work, saying it operates under its $1.8 million annual budget, which comes from the proceeds of crime fund.
Chairman relaxed about early wind up
Kaushal said as the group's chairman his priority was to deliver reform for victims of retail crime, and not to have an "endless talking group".
"I'm very relaxed about the ministerial advisory group winding up in May," he said.
"I made sure the MAG delivered our advisory work quickly, so that victims could see legislation in the House before we wrapped up.
"I thought this more important than pursuing endless 'frameworks' that other MAG members would have prioritised."
Kaushal said he was satisfied the group had delivered for victims of retail crime.
Legislation before parliament would restore accountability for shoplifting and protect victims who acted reasonably in defending themselves and their property.
Kaushal said he also looked forward to proposed changes to trespass laws being introduced to parliament, while the minister would speak soon about proposals responding to anti-social behaviour in city centres.
"We're currently working on our last few reports, which we will deliver before May. That was always our plan, and in truth the MAG would have been winding down at that stage anyway.
"Our focus from May would have been to continue to keep the pressure on ministers to progress our last reports into government policy.
"That's something I look forward to doing whether or not I am chair of the MAG."
Minister defends group's work
Goldsmith confirmed the group would cease earlier than planned.
"For various reasons, three of the members have left, and we could either go through the performance of reappointing them, or just wind it up early," he said.
"The MAG has been very successful in getting all the work done. We've got the Crimes Act changes in the House.
"They've provided advice on anti-social behaviour, which we'll have more to say on the next couple of weeks, and also work around trespass laws.
"They've got a couple of issues that they're going to finish - one on facial recognition, and the other one on the security industry."
Goldsmith said it was a "pragmatic" decision to disband the group early, and expected Kaushal would be "pleased" with the progress the group had made.
He dismissed questions over whether he had any concerns over Kaushal's behaviour.
"I wanted somebody who was going to be fierce in defence of retailers around the country who were fed up with the law and order situation they they were facing when we came into government. The advisory group have come up with some very good ideas that the government is implementing."
Goldsmith also said it was "uncharitable" to say the ideas the group came up with were things Kaushal had already long advocated for, for free.
"What we had was a real problem with retail crime in this country, and the advisory group surfaced a series of things such as infringement, fines for shoplifting, trespass changes, situations around anti-social behaviour. A whole lot of useful things that we've incorporated in legislation or will be over the next few months, and that is making a real difference already."
He confirmed the remaining two members would be paid up until the beginning of May.
RNZ revealed last year that one of the proposals the group had recommended was allowing shop keepers to defend themselves with pepper spray - a restricted weapon.
At the time, Young told RNZ that Retail NZ was opposed to that move due to safety fears.
The Security Association also made a submission opposing the move.
A 'disaster' for the government - Labour
Labour's police spokesperson Ginny Andersen said the group had been a "disaster" for the government, and it was cutting its losses.
"This was a political stunt from day one, and it's backfired on the government by them having to shut down this group early due to its dysfunction," she said.
Andersen has previously said Kaushal came to her when she was police minister offering the same ideas which he later delivered for the advisory group, such as citizen's arrest powers.
That was dismissed at the time as police had advised it was dangerous, and she suspected that was the reason behind the "mass exodus" from the group.
She also backed Young's reasons for leaving.
"Carolyn Young has professional experience in the retail sector, and it's a loss to New Zealanders that her expertise was not taken on board. And I think it's also a reflection on the lack of professionalism that Sunny Kaushal demonstrated."
She suggested the leftover money be put into expanding the previous government's 'circuit-breaker' programme which aimed to address repeat offending by children and young people.
Group's ideas were pre-determined - Young
Carolyn Young said putting the group together with a range of retailers representing the sector made sense, but with the only two remaining members representing the "small end of town" it no longer had diversity.
"It's the pragmatic decision to make, when you don't have a wide variety of people. It will take a lot more work to get applications in from potential new people to sit on the group, and because it's been fraught with challenges I think they would be hard pushed to get quality candidates to go and sit on that MAG."
Young said some of the ideas were presented to the previous government and dismissed as being ineffective or unsafe, but this time Kaushal was able to "push forward" with his ideas, and Goldsmith was happy to put them forward as solutions.
"I think it's clear that a number of the majority of the pieces that were put forward to the group came from some pre-determined areas that Sunny wanted to have covered," she said.
She said she went into the group with an "open mind," and worked hard for Retail NZ's members, but felt the strategies the group was putting forward would put retailers in harm's way.
Young did not feel Kaushal had been respectful.
"I was getting ongoing, persistent, communication from Sunny, trying to get me off the group. Just one thing after the other. And the way that I was being treated in the meetings was not at a level that anybody else would expect."
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