New Police Minister Chris Hipkins came out swinging at his critics on his first day on the job.
It comes after Monday's Cabinet reshuffle that saw Poto Williams removed from the police portfolio amid questions to the Government over an increase in gang-related drive-by shootings.
Hipkins, combining his Minister of Education hat with his degree in criminology, said he saw education as crucial to helping young people avoid a life of crime.
"Let's make sure they're in education, employment, training. Those things are going to choke off the supply of gang recruits."
He also criticised National on its record of delivery.
"Under the previous Government, we saw them closing police stations because the police just didn't have enough money."
He called National's new anti-gang policy, which promised to get tough on the groups, "a failure" because they were trying to repeat something that hadn't worked before.
"I'm far more interested in solutions that work than rhetoric."
It comes days after an interview on Q+A in which National's police spokesperson Mark Mitchell wrestled with how his party's new proposed laws would work when challenged by host Jack Tame.
National police spokesperson Mark Mitchell joins Q+A to explain the policies he believes will allow police to crack down on gangs. (Source: 1News)
It followed an April report released by the New Zealand Law Foundation that concluded that it was "not clear" whether tougher laws reduced overall organised crime or violent offences in the country.
But National leader Christopher Luxon said giving police new powers under the proposals would "make life harder for criminal gangs". His policies included banning gang insignia from social media platforms and public spaces, and stopping known gang offenders from associating or communicating with other specified gang members for up to three years.
Luxon had attacked the Government's response to gang tensions as he said the organisations were "peddling misery across New Zealand". Earlier, he called for Williams to be removed from her police portfolio for "struggling" on the issue.
On Tuesday, he said Mitchell would be the better police minister.
"[Mitchell] is a bravery-awarded police officer who cares deeply about the front line. He's the person I'd have in that job."
Police Association president Chris Cahill said gangs had been a problem for a long time, and that there was no quick fix.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also faced questions on Tuesday over outgoing Speaker Trevor Mallard's resignation a day on from the Cabinet reshuffle.
NZ First leader Winston Peters said he threatened legal action after being trespassed from Parliament. Mallard later withdrew the trespass notices.
"This is a cover-up. If the Prime Minister hasn't been told by Mr Mallard about the correspondence between my solicitors and him, then he should have told her," Peters said.
But Ardern said external pressures had nothing to do with Mallard's departure.
"I have really no comment to make on that. It's had no bearing on my decisions."
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