Government Appoints Ministerial Advisory Group to Tackle Retail Crime

With around 230,000 New Zealanders working in the retail sector, the Government is committed to making stores safer for both workers and shoppers.

The New Zealand Government has appointed four members to a Ministerial Advisory Group focused on addressing retail crime, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced.

Among the appointees are Michael Bell, national retail manager for Michael Hill; Ash Parmar, a Waikato community advocate and business leader; Lindsay Rowles, Foodstuffs North Island’s retail and property general manager; and Carolyn Young, Chief Executive Officer of Retail NZ. The group will be led by Sunny Kaushal.

Justice Minister Goldsmith emphasized that the group is tasked with developing proposed legislation to strengthen law and order in New Zealand’s retail sector. "I am eager to see proposals on how business owners and security guards can better protect themselves," he said. The Government aims to reduce violent crime by 20,000 incidents by 2029 and cut serious repeat youth offending by 15%.

Associate Minister McKee highlighted the seriousness of the growing retail crime problem. Over the past five years, retail crime in New Zealand has surged by 86%, including a worrying 72% rise in sexual assault-related offences occurring at retail locations.

With around 230,000 New Zealanders working in the retail sector, the Government is committed to making stores safer for both workers and shoppers.