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NZ Herald
5 days ago
- Business
- NZ Herald
Poor information sharing between government agencies means NZ not keeping pace with organised crime
'The public reasonably expects government agencies to use information that it has collected to lawfully target organised crime, both domestically and internationally. That requires the information to be proactively shared. That is not happening,' the panel wrote. 'There also appears to be a deeply rooted culture of a risk-averse approach towards proactive sharing of information.' The Privacy Act was regularly cited by government agencies as a reason to not proactively share information, often on the advice of lawyers, especially after high-profile cases that had led to public criticism. This approach was not shared by the Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster, who is quoted in the report as saying: 'Nine times out of 10, it's organisational culture or systems issues that stop effective and needed information sharing from taking place – not the law.' In a section of the report titled 'Organised crime is organised – we are not', the expert panel said that while there are legal avenues for information to be shared among government departments, such as memoranda of understanding, they are not applied consistently. In particular, Inland Revenue (IR), which holds tax records that can be crucial to investigations into organised crime, was singled out for mention. 'IR has told us that it recognises the approach it has traditionally taken to information sharing may have been too conservative, and there is scope to be more pragmatic,' the expert panel wrote. 'This mirrors feedback we received from a number of other Government agencies.' The ministerial advisory group said the same lack of information sharing flowed into the private sector, which held a wealth of useful information and should be a key partner in the fight against organised crime 'Many businesses want to help. Information that would assist businesses in high-risk industries such as ports and airports to disrupt and prevent organised crime, such as key trends, emerging threats and features of organised crime, are not being provided,' the panel wrote. 'Businesses want this information. Sector leaders that we spoke to told us that they want a seat at the table. They want to help to design the solution. But they are being overlooked.' A group of experts advising the Government says more information needs to be shared with private businesses, such as the Port of Tauranga, to help combat organised crime syndicates bringing drugs through the border. Photo / George Novak The advisory panel recommended the establishment of a national plan, rather than separate ones for individual government departments, to clearly set out what information can be shared. This national framework should be accompanied by a 'data lake' – a platform, or centralised repository, to make the data easy to search. In time, AI could also interrogate the data to identify trends or other leads for further investigation. To move away from a risk-averse culture, the panel also recommended that information-sharing benchmarks be set as performance measures for the chief executives of government departments. 'Senior leaders steer the direction of their agencies – if they are motivated to improve the culture, that motivation should filter down through the organisation.' The advisory group has made recommendations to Costello on a different organised crime topic each month since March, such as corruption and money laundering, with a final report to be published in September. But it has already warned the coalition Government that bold changes are needed urgently as New Zealand was 'losing the fight' against transnational organised crime, illustrated by how the country was flooded with methamphetamine. Despite more drugs being seized than before, the consumption of methamphetamine more than doubled in 2024 to the highest levels recorded in national wastewater testing. Jared Savage covers crime and justice issues, with a particular interest in organised crime. He joined the Herald in 2006 and has won a dozen journalism awards in that time, including twice being named Reporter of the Year. He is also the author of Gangland, Gangster's Paradise and Underworld.
RNZ News
29-04-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Congestion charging just another cost for struggling ratepayers
Projections showed Tauranga congestion would worsen unless there was a significant investment in infrastructure. Photo / George Novak Photo: George Novak Congestion charging is a "dirty cash grab from central government", a Tauranga City Councillor claims. Steve Morris made the comment on Monday as the council discussed its submission on the Government's Land Transport Management (Time of Use Charging) Amendment Bill. The Bill would enable local authorities to work with the New Zealand Transport Agency to design schemes charging motorists to use roads in high-congestion zones in peak hours, for the Transport Minister's approval. It is before Parliament's Transport and Infrastructure Committee for public submissions, with the Government intending to pass the legislation this year. The council's draft submission said it supported the general intent of the bill, but some councillors opposed this position. Morris said he was not convinced supporting time-of-use charging was in the best interest of residents. "People are living week-to-week, paycheque-to-paycheque. We are in a cost-of-living crisis, and paying for time-of-use charging is just another naked, dirty cash grab from central government, in my view." Morris said this was because it was not clear in the bill if the revenue from congestion charges on local roads would be used locally or elsewhere. "This bill enables money to go into government coffers from our residents, some of whom are struggling." Councillor Glen Crowther said the council should take a neutral position on congestion charging. He said if it were introduced, alternative transport options had to be provided, meaning Government funding for public transport would be needed. Councillor Rick Curach said congestion charging would be a "real burden" for people who did not have easy access to public transport. He was concerned the government could impose time-of-use charges focused on revenue generation rather than congestion reduction. Curach wanted assurances congestion reduction would be quantified by a percentage and that the charges would be removed if the target was not met. Council principal strategic transport planner Sarah Dove said the bill was silent on congestion reduction targets, but this was probably because these would vary hugely between regions. The bill was clear that the charges were to encourage better use of existing networks through congestion reduction, she said. Councillor Rod Taylor said the council was only submitting on the legislation, and any discussion on whether Tauranga should implement congestion charging would come in the future. Tauranga City Councillor Rod Taylor. Photo: David Hall / NZME The council's submission requested local authorities be involved in any decision to proceed with a charging scheme, rather than a minister directing the New Zealand Transport Agency to make and implement that decision. It asked that all revenue from the scheme be managed by the relevant local authority and used in the area of charging. The submission was adopted by the councillors after the wording was changed to say the council acknowledges, rather than supports, the bill's intent. The submission said projections showed without substantial investment in transport infrastructure, congestion in Tauranga could significantly worsen in the next decade. The funding required for transport infrastructure over the next 20 years was estimated at $10 billion, with current funding estimates at $3.5b, leaving a $6.5b gap. This shortfall has previously led to discussions about alternative funding mechanisms. In March last year, the commissioners running Tauranga City Council scrapped plans to investigate congestion charging options after strong community opposition. Of 1099 submissions in consultation, 81 percent had opposed congestion charging. When the Bill passed its first reading in Parliament in March, Transport Minister Chris Bishop said it would reduce travel times, increase efficiency and help boost economic growth and productivity. "Modelling shows that successful time-of-use charging - charging motorists to travel on certain roads at peak times - will encourage people to change the time or mode of travel, and could reduce congestion by up to 8-12 percent at peak times." He said it required the transport agency to lead the design of schemes in partnership with councils, "enabling local solutions within a nationally consistent framework". "The legislation is not about raising revenue but maximising the efficiency of the roading network. "Any revenue that is collected will first be used to pay for the scheme's costs and then reinvested to improve transport in the region." LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
