For years Sunny Kaushal has been telling any politician who\u2019ll listen that he has the solution to New Zealand\u2019s retail crime crisis. Madeleine Chapman tracks exactly how the former Labour candidate switched sides and nearly singlehandedly changed the Crimes Act.<\/p>\n
Sunny Kaushal is a politician at heart. There he is, smiling with shop owners. There he is, looking stern in a public meeting. There he is, shaking hands with a minister. No one could accuse the chair of the Ministerial Advisory Group for Victims of Retail Crime of sitting idly at home collecting his $920-a-day pay packet. Not when he keeps posting pictures of himself in action online.<\/p>\n
In fact, scroll too fast down his Facebook page and it would be easy to assume that Kaushal is a sitting MP. Always besuited, he captions his posts and the group\u2019s projects as any other politician would, and is more active than most. \u201cThese aren\u2019t just ideas,\u201d begins a post from August 2025. \u201cThese are policy actions accepted by the government through the Ministerial Advisory Group, which I lead.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re building a legacy of reform not a wall of excuses.\u201d The post ends with four hashtags \u2013 #ReformAccepted #ActionNotExcuses #MAGNZ #SunnyKaushalNZ \u2013 and the accompanying blue-tinted image shows Kaushal speaking at a podium with \u201cWE DELIVER\u201d and \u201cWe are taking a zero tolerance approach to retail crime\u201d overlaid.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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But who is \u201cwe\u201d?<\/p>\n
We could be the National government, or it could be the retail crime advisory group which in August 2025 was made up of five retail representatives, including Kaushal. Today, only two remain, after three members \u2013 Michael Hill\u2019s Michael Bell, Foodstuffs\u2019 Lindsay Rowles and Retail NZ\u2019s Carolyn Young \u2013 all resigned within a month of each other in December 2025 and January this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not known what day Bell resigned, and he did not respond to requests for comment for this story, but Rowles and Young stepped down just days apart. Rowles left the group on January 13 and told The Spinoff he \u201cfelt it was the right time to step down\u201d. Young quit on January 16 and a week later told RNZ it was because her relationship with Kaushal had become \u201cuntenable\u201d. Two days later she told The Spinoff that, while there had been \u201cno communications\u201d from the ministry about Bell and Rowles\u2019 resignations, the timing was not a coincidence.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll I can say to you is the three resignations are linked.\u201d The link is Kaushal, whose behaviour Young has directly cited as the reason for her abrupt departure from the advisory group. Behaviour which included a business owners\u2019 group he founded publicly questioning her political motives after Young spoke out against the advisory group\u2019s proposal to loosen legislation around citizens\u2019 arrests, a passion project of Kaushal\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Kaushal declined an interview for this story, citing a busy schedule, and did not answer specific questions about his political career or concerns over his work within the group put to him by The Spinoff. But on the subject of Young\u2019s departure, he offered: \u201cI\u2019ve always appreciated Carolyn\u2019s perspective. It\u2019s a shame she has left, as her participation ensured RetailNZ\u2019s members\u2019 voices were very much at the deliberation table. I wish her well.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The three departed members, across supermarkets, jewellers and the 5,000 storefronts as members of RetailNZ, collectively represented approximately 80% of the victims of retail crime.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now just Kaushal and acquaintance Ash Parmar remain, in Kaushal\u2019s words, \u201cat the deliberation table\u201d and there is fresh scrutiny over Kaushal\u2019s spending as chair, including personally invoicing $238,625 for his own work in the first 12 months. The group\u2019s tenure was put down for two years, ending July 2026, meaning another six months of funding to a retail crime group whose members now only represent 20% of retail crime targets. But in the centre of it all is Kaushal, the man who kickstarted the whole process nearly 10 years ago and who remains staunch in his beliefs, no matter the opposition.<\/p>\n
Who is Sunny Kaushal and how did he get here?<\/p>\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Untitled-design-6.png\")
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Sunny Kaushal is a politician at heart. Or, for a time at least, he really wanted to be. In 2011, the ambitious businessman proudly announced that he would be running as Labour\u2019s candidate in the Pakuranga electorate, the \u201cfirst candidate of Indian origin in New Zealand\u201d to contest an electorate for Labour.<\/p>\n
Pakuranga is home to a large portion of New Zealand\u2019s Indian population, and the recruitment of Kaushal was a clear attempt to move the Indian community\u2019s party vote to the left in what was a National stronghold. \u201cThis is a decisive moment for our people,\u201d said Kaushal at the time. \u201cThey want progress, not regress and hence will vote for Labour, which is the only party that will deliver what it promises.\u201d<\/p>\n
His prediction proved false. In the 2011 election, Maurice Williamson retained his seat with a 14,000 vote majority, and while National held steady with its party vote, Labour regressed, losing a share to the Greens.<\/p>\n
Kaushal did not run again in Pakuranga. Instead he was placed at 43 on Labour\u2019s list in 2014 as the party suffered its worst election defeat since 1922.<\/p>\n
The Kaushal family was Labour-strong. In the 2016 Auckland local elections, father Sunny and son Shail campaigned together<\/a>, knocking on doors in support of Shail\u2019s successful run for Labour in the Puketepapa Local Board. When Phil Goff\u2019s mayoralty win triggered a Mt Roskill byelection, Shail, as Labour\u2019s campaign secretary for Mt Roskill at just 22, campaigned hard for Micheal Wood against National\u2019s Parmjeet Parmar. The Kaushals were father-son up-and-comers in Labour, and the faces of the party in Auckland\u2019s Indian community.<\/p>\n But just three months later, Deborah Russell beat out Sunny Kaushal for Labour\u2019s New Lynn seat and three months after that, Kaushal announced his immediate departure from the Labour Party on his Facebook page, citing his \u201crecent stand on immigration and rising crime\u201d as well as non-specific \u201chostilities and bullying\u201d within the party\u2019s membership. Labour did not respond to the allegations at the time and they were not widely reported.\u00a0<\/p>\n Two weeks later, Kaushal posted a photo of himself alongside a detective inspector, celebrating that NZ Police had accepted one of his recommendations and launched a special taskforce to tackle crimes against businesses. Someone had finally listened to him, and it was under a National government.<\/p>\n Kaushal\u2019s recommendations came on behalf of the Crime Prevention Group (CPG), a \u201cnon-political\u201d action group of Auckland business owners that he founded in March 2017. The taskforce was one of six recommendations in the group\u2019s \u201cmanifesto\u201d to tackle retail crime that was sent to the government. Within two months, in June 2017, Kaushal announced that another two recommendations had been implemented: more police patrols and a crackdown on resellers of stolen goods.<\/p>\n In July 2017, three months after leaving Labour, Kaushal reintroduced himself<\/a> as a proud, card-carrying member of the National Party.\u00a0<\/p>\n Kaushal did not stand for election that year, but declared he would be \u201cplaying a significant role in mobilising and consolidating the Indian vote\u201d. As the president of CPG, Kaushal continued to work hard to get his cause media attention. And he was very good at it. For the next five years, nearly every report on a dairy robbery or ram raid (and there were many) would soon be followed by a comment from Kaushal, demanding accountability and action from the Labour government on behalf of dairy owners.\u00a0<\/p>\n Kaushal\u2019s advocacy on behalf of the CPG and the Dairy and Business Owners Group (DBOG) \u2013 both of which he founded and largely self-funded \u2013 revolved around the three remaining recommendations in the CPG 2017 manifesto: tougher penalties for theft, harsher penalties for youth offenders, and increased citizen powers to detain offenders and protect property.<\/p>\n Kaushal never wavered in his approach, and always kept shop owners\u2019 right to self-defence at the front of the conversation. Between posting news articles of robberies in New Zealand, the CPG Facebook page would share stories of shopkeepers fighting off attackers or police pursuing offenders. In July 2022, Kaushal told the AM Show that \u201ca sense of lawlessness is now gripping all of New Zealand and the soft on crime approach is not working\u201d. He went on to criticise the Labour government of the time for \u201cwasting parliament time repealing the three strikes law\u201d and said shop owners were looking to arm themselves in order to fight off robbers.\u00a0<\/p>\n Three months later, in November 2022, Janak Patel was managing Rose Cottage Superette in Sandringham when a masked robber entered. Patel confronted him but backed away when the robber revealed he was carrying a knife. After stealing the cash register and some vapes, the robber fled, only to be pursued by Patel, who had picked up a hockey stick as a weapon. The two fought on the street, and the robber stabbed Patel a number of times, including once in the neck. Patel died at the scene.<\/p>\n The next day, Kaushal spoke to gathered mourners in Sandringham, saying \u201cThe government has blood on its hands.<\/a>\u201d He was visibly angry, and expressed the pent up emotions that many small business owners had been feeling for years. Two days later, he penned an op-ed for the New Zealand Herald<\/a> criticising the government for its lack of action tackling crime and once again suggesting that a loosening of self-defence laws was the solution.\u00a0<\/p>\n Within a week, the name Sunny Kaushal would be known around the country as the impassioned voice of dairy owners, daring to speak out against the government.<\/p>\n In 2020 and 2023, Kaushal campaigned enthusiastically for National \u2013 the party\u2019s MPs had grown close to Kaushal while in opposition. Mark Mitchell, as police spokesperson, had regularly attended meetings organised by the CPG, and was one of at least 10 National MPs who accepted Kaushal\u2019s petition at parliament in June 2023 demanding changes to the justice system.<\/p>\n Following National\u2019s election win, Kaushal maintained his energy. In February 2024 he penned another op-ed for the Herald, this time his name was in the headline, suggesting by then a modicum of celebrity. \u201cSunny Kaushal: Who should be New Zealand\u2019s next police commissioner?\u201d Kaushal didn\u2019t suggest any individuals for the job but instead reiterated his calls for citizens\u2019 arrests to be made legal 24\/7 and advocated for a \u201cback to basics\u201d hardline approach to lower level crime.<\/p>\n In other media appearances, he remained critical of retail crime rates, but toned down the commentary briefly as the new government settled into power. In March 2024, he told RNZ the members of DBOG \u201cappreciate initiatives like the crackdown on gangs, three strike laws coming back, more police officers they are planning, military academies and investment in prisons, but we have yet to see the crime stopping.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Kaushal continued to organise community meetings with business leaders, police and politicians. Only now, rather than having National opposition MPs in attendance, he had government ministers. Mitchell (police), Paul Goldsmith (justice) and Nicole McKee (associate justice) were regular guests in Kaushal\u2019s Facebook updates.\u00a0<\/p>\n The CPG and DBOG had successfully graduated from advocating at the government to working with the government. And in July 2024, the relationship was cemented when Goldsmith announced the Ministerial Advisory Group for Victims of Retail Crime, a two-year project that would task a group of five retail leaders with advising the government on changes to legislation that could reduce retail crime rates and assist victims of it. The budget? $1.8 million. The chair? Sunny Kaushal.<\/p>\n The most vocal advocate for change in government policy was now on the government payroll, and Kaushal suddenly had a very important job that would see him occupied almost right up to the next election.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ministerial advisory groups are not uncommon for any government. When a particularly knotty issue arises, an external group of experts may be assembled to tackle the issue head-on, compile their research and present it back to the government with recommendations.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the case of retail crime, the advisory was made up of Kaushal as chair and sole fulltime member, Ash Parmar (former Act candidate in Hamilton who owns three liquor stores), Michael Bell (Michael Hill), Lindsay Rowles (Foodstuffs) and Carolyn Young (RetailNZ).<\/p>\n Formed in August 2024, the concerns began almost immediately.<\/p>\n Young told The Spinoff that, having had experience in advisory spaces, she assumed the first task for the group was obvious. \u201cWhen you start an organisation like a ministerial advisory group where you\u2019re tasked to come up with solutions for retail crime, the first thing you should do is actually understand what is the purpose of the group. What are you trying to achieve?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Young believed a foundational document was needed, and the chair needed to draft it to then be discussed. But \u201cit was asked by all other members of the group for it to be done, was asked several times at several of the early meetings, and it just wasn\u2019t done\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n As a result, the solutions to a problem that had not yet been outlined were largely pushed by Kaushal, Young said. \u201cIf you think about the type of work that was being done, these are all things that Sunny had been talking about for a number of years.\u201d That work was focused primarily on citizens\u2019 arrest powers but included amendments to trespass laws and harsher sentences for shoplifting specifically.<\/p>\n As for the meetings themselves. Young said they were \u201ca very unpleasant environment\u201d and it \u201cwasn\u2019t a nice place to go and spend an afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n Gary Morrison, CEO of the NZ Security Association (NZSA), has been engaging regularly with the advisory group. He told The Spinoff he has had \u201cpretty positive\u201d interactions with all members as well as the policy advisors who served a dual purpose during meetings with Kaushal: to \u201cget into the detail rather than reacting to the, sort of, very high level\u201d and to \u201chave a moderating effect\u2026 [they] sort of toned down some of the more extreme views\u201d. Morrison wouldn\u2019t specify what those extreme views were.<\/p>\n Young said there were definitely things that everyone in the group agreed on, and plenty more things where their opinions diverged. But \u201cwhen you\u2019ve got differences of opinion, the final documents going to the minister may not reflect your position\u2026 ultimately, there were times I felt there might have been one or two voices that had more final say than others.\u201d<\/p>\n So it was no surprise then that the group\u2019s first order of business was a proposal sent to Goldsmith in October 2024 suggesting an amendment to the Crimes Act to allow for more citizens\u2019 arrest powers. Specifically:<\/p>\n \u201cEvery one aged 18 years or more, who is not subject to the Bail Act 2000 or the Sentencing Act 2002, is justified in arresting without warrant any person he or she finds committing any offence against this Act.\u201d<\/p>\n The report includes a foreword by Kaushal, which notes that there were differing views on the proposed changes \u2013 regarding increased detention powers for all as well as non-lethal weapons for security guards \u2013 with larger retailers less likely to support them. \u201cThe concerns of the owner operator or small business owner is far more about having enhanced ability to protect themselves [and] their staff immediately,\u201d Kaushal wrote. \u201cThis group were far more in favour of arming security guards and store workers, and strongly in favour of enhanced power of detention.\u201d<\/p>\n The attached submissions, however, suggest even small business owners were split on the issue. The DBOG was heavily in favour of the changes, as outlined in a submission penned by president Sunny Kaushal. So too was the summary of verbal remarks given by small business owners in meetings with Kaushal.\u00a0<\/p>\n But other organisations shared plenty of concerns. The NZSA was opposed to any further arming of guards. In terms of detaining powers, it advocated for further training and health and safety requirements alongside such powers for security personnel but did not comment on whether those powers should be given to all citizens.<\/p>\n MTA, representing 900 petrol store operators in New Zealand, submitted: <\/p>\n \u201cIt is the opinion of MTA that this [proposal] would not be an effective step or solution to reducing crime. In fact, it is not unfair to say it could be a backward step.\u201d<\/p>\n Hospitality NZ said it \u201cwould consider it a significant health and safety risk to both staff and customers if we start advocating for stronger detaining abilities.\u201d<\/p>\n RetailNZ, led by Young, wrote: <\/p>\n \u201cOn balance, we do not favour security guards (or retail staff or owners) being given these [detaining] powers at this time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Kaushal concluded the report: \u201cWhile there is no consensus from stakeholders the political impact of reforms must be considered. Reforms need to be radical to end retail crime, rather than move the status quo gently in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n Young would later say<\/a> that as a member of the advisory group, she did not see the final report or recommendations before they were sent to the minister.<\/p>\n While the justice minister was considering the proposal, Kaushal wrote yet another op-ed for the Herald advocating for more citizen action in law enforcement \u2013 \u201cFighting crime needs the team of five million\u201d<\/a>. Kaushal opened his argument by detailing how a dairy owner was assaulted by a robber the week prior and how fighting crime was not just a job for the police, \u201cit\u2019s a job for us all\u201d.<\/p>\n The dairy owner was assaulted after pursuing a thief down the street and attempting to detain him. He had stolen two boxes of beef jerky.<\/p>\n In February 2025, Goldsmith stood outside a Mt Roskill superette, alongside associate minister McKee and Kaushal, to announce that the government had accepted the advisory group\u2019s recommendation and would amend the Crimes Act to allow citizens to detain anyone they believe to be committing a crime, at any time of day.\u00a0<\/p>\n The announcement was swiftly and widely criticised, including by the police association<\/a>, with president Chris Cahill saying the police advised against increased citizen arrest powers to the previous Labour government and \u201cthere are lots of things that I don\u2019t think have been thought through in this legislation.\u201d Young, speaking on behalf of RetailNZ, said the decision was \u201cextremely dangerous \u2013 people will get hurt or even killed\u201d. Asian business and community groups were also divided on the changes, with many expressing reservations and concerns for staff safety<\/a>.<\/p>\n One vocal fan of the proposed amendments was Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki, who said he was \u201cexcited\u201d to have \u201cincreased powers to police \u2026 where law and order has failed\u201d.<\/p>\n Kaushal, for his part, was ecstatic. He had been asking for this since 2017.<\/p>\n Not yet a year on from that announcement and the Crime Amendment Bill, which includes the changes to citizens\u2019 arrest powers, is open for public submission. Kaushal\u2019s social media in late 2025 heavily referenced the group\u2019s (and the government\u2019s) success in reducing retail crime rates. Ram raids have fallen rapidly from their peak in late 2022, which has variously been attributed to the new government\u2019s tough on crime approach, extra security measures like fog cannons and bollards (funded through a previous government initiative) and a dying social media trend.<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/yAVZxHTP-Sunny-line-break.png\")
A few of Kaushal’s appearances on AM<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Lph5pVwq-Sunny-line-break-2.png\")
Kaushal proved an enthusiastic and effective campaigner for National in 2023<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/retail-crime-advisory-group.png\")
The ministerial advisory group for victims of retail crime, L-R: Lindsay Rowles, Carolyn Young, Sunny Kaushal, Michael Bell, Ash Parmar<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Wrapped_400x600-2.png\")
<\/p>\nJustice minister Paul Goldsmith announces changes to citizens\u2019 arrest legislation alongside local business owners, Nicole McKee and Sunny Kaushal<\/p>\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Wrapped_400x600-3.png\")
Ash Parmar, the sole member of the advisory group alongside Kaushal<\/p>\n