Over half of government retail crime advisory group resigns

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Three of the five members of the Ministerial Advisory Group for Victims of Retail Crime have resigned in the past month.

One of the three, Retail NZ chief executive, has cited the group's "very unpleasant environment".

The group's chairman says resignations reflect normal leadership changes

Justice Minister says external commitments and job changes behind exodus.

The group has faced criticism for its spending.

The chief executive of Retail NZ says she quit a ministerial advisory group because her relationship with its chairman became untenable.

Carolyn Young is one of three business leaders advising the government on how to combat retail crime to have walked away in the past month, leaving just two members to complete the work.

Young's departure follows that of Foodstuffs North Island senior manager Lindsay Rowles and Michael Hill national retail manager Michael Bell, who quit late last year.

The group is led by Sunny Kaushal, who remains as chairman, with one other member remaining, Hamilton liquor retailer Ash Parmar.

Young said while Kaushal had the confidence of Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith, he was not the right person to chair the group.

In an interview with Checkpoint on Monday, she told Lisa Owen about its "unpleasant environment".

Goldsmith made the appointments to the group in mid-2024