Latest news with #KerryGrass
Scoop
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
On New Zealand Based USA FBI Enforcement Office
Opinion – Kerry Grass New Zealand Government may, for the first time, be demonstrating they are getting realistic about their statements of – 'We are going to get tough on organised crime'. As a New Zealand citizen it is reassuring to hear the announcement today that the USA FBI has the go ahead from New Zealand government to set up an 'FBI Enforcement Office' to be based in Wellington, New Zealand. The USA and most likely the United Kingdom, must have recognised the need for New Zealand to have a helping hand to establish, implement and monitoring the threats arising from organised and trans-national crime. An examination of New Zealand's infrastructure to adequately fight, monitor or report on such crimes is, almost, non-existent. In other words, New Zealand Government is well-behind in its knowledge-base and technology systems to adequately protect its citizens or guide the Pacific Island nations, on how to manage the risks from organised crime and transnational crime. The announcement by USA FBI Chief, Kash Patel, confirmed the focus of this NZ based FBI unit was to ensure stability and peace in the Pacific Island region. There was mention of the need to manage monitoring of risks arising from the increasing presence of State China and State Indo-China in the Pacific Islands region. Mr Patel aligned these risks to narcotics trafficking and other type trans-national crime offending. The objectives of this unit will be positive news to the people of the Pacific Island communities. Hopefully the NZ-USA FBI Unit will also capture New Zealand across its web of countries that it starts monitoring and enforcing against. This would be a significant benefit to New Zealand's citizens. But there are many questions that sill need answering. What laws in New Zealand will this NZ-USA FBI Unit draw its powers from? Where will its data servers be based? How will citizen privacy information be managed and sharing of information from NZ to the USA government led unit? Let's see what eventuates but I am confident this news today is positive for all law abiding New Zealanders and the community members in the Pacific Island region.
Scoop
19-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
International Sanctions - Countering Financing of Terrorism
Kerry Grass, Asia Pacific AML Anti-Money Laundering Compliance requires consideration of geographic risk indicators. How well balanced are AML/CFT indicators? As an AML/CFT compliance specialist, I take interest in events occurring in the Middle East region of the globe. In most recent times the world has witnessed Israel striking civilians, causing death and grievous wounds to innocent men, women and children. Miraculously, I have not yet heard of economic sanctions being issued against Israel. Why is there such an imbalance in AML/CFT international principles? We now see Israel taking aim at Iran - claiming Iran is manufacturing nuclear power plants to develop a nuclear weapon. On this basis, Israel is claiming a right to send bombs into civilian territory of Iran's capital, Tehran. Where is the evidence of this 'suspicion' that Iran is developing nuclear weapons? Iran claims the development of nuclear power plants is to provide its people energy to their homes. Israel now claims it sneaked in weapons of mass destruction into Iran for the purpose of attacking Iran's assets. How well aligned are international sanctions to preventing Israel from committing these acts of terrorism? Is Israel one of the countries taking advantage of New Zealand's weaknesses in having no government oversight in ensuring enforcement of United Nations Sanctions? When will the Western world see Israel as a sanctioned country for its acts of crime and harm to innocent civilians?
Scoop
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Jevon McSkimming – Privacy And Democracy Vs Journalists
Opinion – Asia Pacific AML 'I dont think journalists have yet learnt that their power of the pen or words they publish can perpetually harm a persons livelihood, their familys livelihood and in the case of Mr McSkimming, forever destroy his reputation and career,' says … Opinion: Kerry Grass, Asia Pacific AML Is Former NZ Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming a victim of a malicious and orchestrated rumour? Was the rumour designed to derail his candidacy from New Zealand's next Police Commissioner and secure the role to Richard Chambers? Since the time the news broke that NZ's next Police Commissioner was shortlisted to two candidates, I have been following that media trail. It was therefore an interesting article to read, shortly after, that one of the candidates had been stood down from employment duties. The media article reported that there was a pending investigation and gave some detail about the allegation. What was then unfortunate to read but fairly common in New Zealand's media, was a small number of journalists who continued reporting details of the allegation. Such conduct by journalists I find very frustrating and it would seem they have ignored that Mr McSkimming has minimum rights afforded to him under New Zealand's laws. These laws include the Bill of Rights Act, the Privacy Act and the Employment Relations Act. Section 27 of the Bill of Rights Act (BORA), afford Mr McSkimming to the Right to Natural Justice. It sets out – (1) Every person has the right to the observance of the principles of natural justice by any tribunal or other public authority which has the power to make a determination in respect of that person's rights, obligations, or interests protected or recognised by law. (2) Every person whose rights, obligations, or interests protected or recognised by law have been affected by a determination of any tribunal or other public authority has the right to apply, in accordance with law, for judicial review of that determination. (3) Every person has the right to bring civil proceedings against, and to defend civil proceedings brought by, the Crown, and to have those proceedings heard, according to law, in the same way as civil proceedings between individuals. To then read that journalists and the Minister of Police continued to publicly share their personal views and report details of the allegation – is beyond belief. I don't think journalists have yet learnt that their power of the pen or words they publish can perpetually harm a person's livelihood, their family's livelihood and in the case of Mr McSkimming, forever destroy his reputation and career. This impact still eventuates if he is found innocent of the allegations that journalists and Minister Mitchell are reporting. There is also the possibility the allegations were designed to derail Mr McSkimming's role as the next Police Commissioner. If so, the orchestration and malicious leaking were successful in the objective.
Scoop
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Jevon McSkimming – Privacy And Democracy Vs Journalists
Opinion – Asia Pacific AML 'I dont think journalists have yet learnt that their power of the pen or words they publish can perpetually harm a persons livelihood, their familys livelihood and in the case of Mr McSkimming, forever destroy his reputation and career,' says … Opinion: Kerry Grass, Asia Pacific AML Is Former NZ Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming a victim of a malicious and orchestrated rumour? Was the rumour designed to derail his candidacy from New Zealand's next Police Commissioner and secure the role to Richard Chambers? Since the time the news broke that NZ's next Police Commissioner was shortlisted to two candidates, I have been following that media trail. It was therefore an interesting article to read, shortly after, that one of the candidates had been stood down from employment duties. The media article reported that there was a pending investigation and gave some detail about the allegation. What was then unfortunate to read but fairly common in New Zealand's media, was a small number of journalists who continued reporting details of the allegation. Such conduct by journalists I find very frustrating and it would seem they have ignored that Mr McSkimming has minimum rights afforded to him under New Zealand's laws. These laws include the Bill of Rights Act, the Privacy Act and the Employment Relations Act. Section 27 of the Bill of Rights Act (BORA), afford Mr McSkimming to the Right to Natural Justice. It sets out – (1) Every person has the right to the observance of the principles of natural justice by any tribunal or other public authority which has the power to make a determination in respect of that person's rights, obligations, or interests protected or recognised by law. (2) Every person whose rights, obligations, or interests protected or recognised by law have been affected by a determination of any tribunal or other public authority has the right to apply, in accordance with law, for judicial review of that determination. (3) Every person has the right to bring civil proceedings against, and to defend civil proceedings brought by, the Crown, and to have those proceedings heard, according to law, in the same way as civil proceedings between individuals. To then read that journalists and the Minister of Police continued to publicly share their personal views and report details of the allegation – is beyond belief. I don't think journalists have yet learnt that their power of the pen or words they publish can perpetually harm a person's livelihood, their family's livelihood and in the case of Mr McSkimming, forever destroy his reputation and career. This impact still eventuates if he is found innocent of the allegations that journalists and Minister Mitchell are reporting. There is also the possibility the allegations were designed to derail Mr McSkimming's role as the next Police Commissioner. If so, the orchestration and malicious leaking were successful in the objective.
Scoop
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Jevon McSkimming – Privacy And Democracy Vs Journalists
Opinion: Kerry Grass, Asia Pacific AML Is Former NZ Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming a victim of a malicious and orchestrated rumour? Was the rumour designed to derail his candidacy from New Zealand's next Police Commissioner and secure the role to Richard Chambers? Since the time the news broke that NZ's next Police Commissioner was shortlisted to two candidates, I have been following that media trail. It was therefore an interesting article to read, shortly after, that one of the candidates had been stood down from employment duties. The media article reported that there was a pending investigation and gave some detail about the allegation. What was then unfortunate to read but fairly common in New Zealand's media, was a small number of journalists who continued reporting details of the allegation. Such conduct by journalists I find very frustrating and it would seem they have ignored that Mr McSkimming has minimum rights afforded to him under New Zealand's laws. These laws include the Bill of Rights Act, the Privacy Act and the Employment Relations Act. Section 27 of the Bill of Rights Act (BORA), afford Mr McSkimming to the Right to Natural Justice. It sets out - (1) Every person has the right to the observance of the principles of natural justice by any tribunal or other public authority which has the power to make a determination in respect of that person's rights, obligations, or interests protected or recognised by law. (2) Every person whose rights, obligations, or interests protected or recognised by law have been affected by a determination of any tribunal or other public authority has the right to apply, in accordance with law, for judicial review of that determination. (3) Every person has the right to bring civil proceedings against, and to defend civil proceedings brought by, the Crown, and to have those proceedings heard, according to law, in the same way as civil proceedings between individuals. To then read that journalists and the Minister of Police continued to publicly share their personal views and report details of the allegation – is beyond belief. I don't think journalists have yet learnt that their power of the pen or words they publish can perpetually harm a person's livelihood, their family's livelihood and in the case of Mr McSkimming, forever destroy his reputation and career. This impact still eventuates if he is found innocent of the allegations that journalists and Minister Mitchell are reporting. There is also the possibility the allegations were designed to derail Mr McSkimming's role as the next Police Commissioner. If so, the orchestration and malicious leaking were successful in the objective.
