Nearly $1 million was spent on contractors hired to support the Government's soon-to-be disbanded ministerial advisory group for retail crime victims, new figures reveal, as the group's chairperson says he feels "stabbed in the back" by a former colleague.
New figures obtained by the Labour Party showed $971,000 was paid out across late 2024 and 2025 on policy advisers, administrative support and a contractor brought in to help with social media.
The Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG) for victims of retail crime was established in July 2024, with Sunny Kaushal appointed chairperson.
Three of the five members resigned between December 2025 and January 2026, leading the group to be disbanded in early May rather than the initial September closing date.
Labour police spokesperson Ginny Andersen said the group had delivered no real solutions for retail crime.
"It's a clear waste of taxpayer money and that hurts even more when people are struggling to pay for the bills," she said, describing the group as a "disaster from day one".
"A big part of that has been the complete unprofessionalism of Sunny Kaushal."
Kaushal defended the money as "very well spent", accusing Andersen of doing nothing to bring reform or solutions during her tenure as police minister.
"Ginny likes to run with the white flag. She accepts crime, she accepts criminals and she wants nothing done."
He also hit out at his former colleague, Retail NZ chief executive Carolyn Young, saying he felt "stabbed in the back" by her comments about him in recent weeks.
"What she has spoken in the media and what she has told us in private when discussing these reforms is completely different."
Young told 1News last month she had quit after deciding she could no longer work with Kaushal, saying the advisory group lacked a strategic plan and instead became dominated by Kaushal’s personal proposals.
She has been vocal in her concerns about the Government’s plan to expand citizens’ arrest powers —which were a product of the MAG — warning the changes could place staff and members of the public at greater risk.
"Retail NZ’s members hold significant concerns around the risk of harm Citizen’s Arrest could pose to all New Zealanders with how this bill is currently worded," she said in a statement to 1News today.
"In particular, the conflict with the country’s Health and Safety laws, and the potential to make us an international outlier."
She added the comments Kaushal were referring to were around discussions held on potential changes to security guards' rights and responsibilities.
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said he was comfortable with the contractor spending, arguing the group helped accelerate policy development.
"The whole purpose was to bring in extra skills to advance some proposals faster," he said.
"Proposals for infringement notices for shoplifters, citizens arrest are all sorts of things that wouldn't have happened as quickly if we'd gone through the normal Ministry of Justice channel."
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