The Ministerial Advisory Group for the victims of retail crime was established by Minister of Justice, Hon Paul Goldsmith, and the Associate Minister of Justice, Hon Nicole McKee, on 11 July 2024. Besides the Chair, the advisory group comprises four members with extensive expertise across the retail sector.
The Ministerial Advisory Group has been established to provide the Ministers with high quality, independent advice, develop practical, evidence-based proposals, policies, and legislative recommendations to tackle urgent issues related to retail crime. MAG’s mandate is to table proposed legislation for the Government to consider as part of its plan to restore law and order including options on how security guards and business owners can better protect themselves.
This effort involves direct engagement with a diverse range of stakeholders, including retailers, victims, workers, business owners, retail experts, advocacy groups, and government agencies. Our mission is to create actionable solutions that place victims at the centre of justice and effectively deter offenders. By adopting proven, successful policies from around the world and providing independent advice on policy, prevention, detection, and deterrence, we aim to significantly reduce retail crime and enhance cross-agency collaboration to address its societal drivers.
The functions of the Ministerial Advisory Group are to provide independent advice on:
The initial objectives of the Advisory Group are to provide advice on possible legislative changes to:
The Advisory Group reports to the Minister of Justice and the Associate Minister of Justice on a quarterly basis.
The members of the Group were chosen for appointment based on their:
Sunny Kaushal (Chairperson) is a business advocate and community leader who has championed the rights and safety of New Zealand’s small businesses for over a decade. He served as Chair of the New Zealand Dairy and Business Owners Group for seven years and President of the Crime Prevention Group for 13 years, leading impactful initiatives to support business owners and hold authorities accountable. Sunny is also the Director of Auckland’s historic Shakespeare Hotel, an iconic city landmark.
Michael Bell is the National Retail Manager of the Michael Hill International Ltd, having joined the Group in 2010. Prior to his appointment to this role in 2022, he managed three stores in Auckland before becoming Central Regional Manager and later Senior Regional Manager – Northern.
Ash Parmar is the founder of Eight PM, a Waikato-based liquor retailer. He is formerly a Director of Super Liquor Holdings and was the founding chairperson and race director of the Kirikiriroa Marathon Society.
Lindsay Rowles is the General Manager Membership and Property with Foodstuffs North Island. Mr Rowles joined the Group in May 2016 having previously spent eight years at Woolworths Australia where he held various leadership roles in their property group. He holds degrees in commerce and law from Deakin University.
Carolyn Young is the Chief Executive Officer of Retail New Zealand, which she joined in 2023. Previously she was Chief Executive of Special Olympics New Zealand (2018 - 2023) and Netball Central Zone (2013-2018). She also has extensive experience as an independent financial adviser. She holds a BA from Victoria University of Wellington.
Resources and administrative support are provided by the Ministry of Justice. The Chair and members will be supported by a Secretariat to enable the Ministerial Advisory Group to perform its functions.
Terms of reference [PDF, 90 KB]
Cabinet paper: Victims of Retail Crime Ministerial Advisory Group - appointment of members [PDF, 2.2 MB]
Requests for official information should be directed to: OIA@justice.govt.nz
18 September 2024: Members appointed to retail crime MAG(external link)
11 July 2024: Government creates MAG for retail crime victims(external link)
MAG fees and expenses are in accordance with the Cabinet Fees Framework [CO(22) 2] at level 1 of Group 4 (“All other Committees and other Bodies.) The fees framework is available on website of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.(external link)
Email: retailcrimeMAG@justice.govt.nz
Street address:
Justice Centre
19 Aitken Street
Wellington
Postal address:
Ministry of Justice
SX 100088
Wellington