Latest news with #MinisterialAdvisoryGroup
1News
5 hours ago
- Politics
- 1News
Damning report reveals growing threat of corruption across Pacific
A Ministerial Advisory Group report has found corruption is growing in scope and sophistication in New Zealand and it's enabling serious organised crime. The Transnational Serious and Organised Crime group says New Zealand is the only Five Eyes country without a whole-of-government national anti-corruption strategy and that has created "a significant gap in the country's ability to prevent, detect, and respond to corruption risks in both the public and private sectors". The report also names the Pacific as a direct risk to regional security — compounding New Zealand's vulnerability. The increase presence of illicit drugs in the Pacific was escalating corruption. Adding to the growth in corruption was the increasing numbers of deportees from Australia, New Zealand and the United States to the Pacific region. The problem was set to worsen with around 1000 deportations to the Pacific expected as a result of the Trump administration's focus. ADVERTISEMENT The report said New Zealand needed to act immediately to protect institutions, borders and regional stability. That involved having a centralised reporting and investigative body and a national strategy to address corruption, along with modernising corruption offences under the Crimes Act. The report also recommended supporting the development of similar measures in the Pacific Islands including making specialist expertise available to help nations respond to the organised crime problems they were facing.
RNZ News
8 hours ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Government warned corruption and 'insider threats' increasing in New Zealand
Associate Minister of Police Casey Costello. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone The government has been warned that corruption and "insider threats" are increasing in New Zealand, despite the country's longstanding reputation as a country largely free of it. An advisory group says the country is poorly prepared to tackle the increasing threat and recommends developing a national anti-corruption strategy and modernising the Crimes Act, which the Minister responsible says is key. The Ministerial Advisory Group on transnational and organised crime was set up in February to provide independent advice and recommendations to improve the cross-government response to what Associate Minister of Police Casey Costello described as " an increasing threat ." Previous reports have said New Zealand was "losing the fight" against organised crime, and specified a need for police to have greater financial powers to fight it . The third report has stated New Zealand's "lucrative market" and established crime networks have made the country "more susceptible than ever" to corruption and insider threats. It also pointed to the "deteriorating situation in the Pacific" as making the region more vulnerable. It defined corruption as the "abuse of access or authority to advance the objectices of organised crime". "It is a critical enabler of organised crime, particularly at national borders. It grants criminal networks access to protection, sensitive information, and operational impunity. "This is a real and increasing threat," the report said. The group was told by enforcement agencies about "trusted insiders" at ports and airports helping to retrieve concealed shipments of illicit drugs before customs inspections. "That information is consistent with an unpublished global report which estimates that 70 percent of maritime seizures worldwide involved links to trusted insiders." It raised a specific concern in the Pacific where exposure is increased due to expansive maritime borders, strategic trade corridors and growing cross-border flows of goods and people. A brick of cocaine seized by Customs last week in the Port of Tauranga. Photo: Supplied / Customs "When individuals in border security, customs, or immigration are compromised, criminal groups can exploit these weak points to smuggle drugs, weapons, other illicit goods, and people with minimal detection. "Bribery, coercion, and cronyism can transform ports, airports, and checkpoints into open channels." If corruption was left unchecked, the report warned it could erode the integrity of New Zealand's institutions and undermine its collective security. "We are already seeing increasing pressure on Pacific nations which have limited capacity to detect, investigate and prosecute organised crime threats. "The financial incentives offered by organised crime groups can be tempting - especially for those working in jobs with useful access, but low pay, in New Zealand and within the Pacific." The advisory group reports to Costello who told RNZ she was not surprised by the contents of the report, except to learn that New Zealand was the only Five Eyes member who did not have an anti-corruption strategy. She did however believe New Zealanders might be shocked to learn corruption was getting worse, "we've kind of considered ourselves as a little bit of a haven". The report specified New Zealand's "reputation as a country largely free from corruption has long been a source of national pride and international credibility". But also pointed this had led to a "degree of inertia," referencing Julie Haggie, chief executive of Transparency International NZ, who said in the report "New Zealand's response to increasing corruption pressures over several years has been lacklustre and complacent". A corporate team during Transparency International Papua New Guinea's 2018 Sir Anthony Siaguru Walk Against Corruption. Photo: TIPNG "New Zealand is poorly prepared to deter and tackle the increasing threat of corruption, but that is not to say nothing is being done," said the report. Costello said the report was not suggesting organisations were corrupt, but the ability for organised crime to target individuals was there. "That's where we see that familial or cultural pressures, that ability to have control over individuals, and that's not just in the drug world." She said New Zealand was not out of control, but the country needed to shift the way it was doing things, strengthen legislation and put clear strategies in place. Costello believed bringing the Crimes Act up to date to deal with corruption was one of the key recommendations. She said work being done at the moment was bringing agencies together to have consistency around sharing information. Another recommendation was to have a centralised agency that would have oversight across all agencies. "Whether that's in the public service commission, or whether it's in police or SFO [Serious Fraud Office] or a new agency, it's having that one oversight so that we work more cooperatively." In regards to the Pacific, she said it was important New Zealand supported its economic growth and viability. "When people are poor, then the amount of money you need to corrupt someone is relatively low. "Leaning in more to support those economies to help them not just gain knowledge, but actually keep these systems in place. "How do they optimise their control of their border so they're collecting excise, that they're optimising the revenue they can get from legitimate business, as well as ensuring that they aren't corrupted." She said the reports were about making New Zealanders more aware about organised crime and an appreciation of the challenges that it presents. 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RNZ News
07-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Police need greater financial powers to fight organised crime
Chair of the Ministerial Advisory Group on Organised Crime, Steve Symon. Photo: RNZ / Nick Monro The head of the Ministerial Advisory Group on Organised Crime says police need greater powers to monitor bank accounts and seize suspects' assets. Chair Steve Symon said cash and assets seized by police were less than five percent of the $1.6 billion of criminal profits each year. "The police have powers under the Search and Surveillance Act to watch a person or to intercept their cellular communications but we don't have a method by which they can obtain their bank transactions over 30 days. What police would have to do is ask for a new order every single day," Symon said. The Ministerial Advisory Group on transnational and organised crime was set up in February, to provide independent, expert advice and recommendations to improve the cross-government response to what Associate Police Minister Casey Costello described as "an increasing threat". It had since met with a number of agencies , including Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Inland Revenue, Customs, Police and the Serious Fraud Office, as well as non-governmental stakeholders like banks, NZ Post, Auckland Airport and gang members. The group was providing monthly reports on different facets of organised crime in the country which Symon said would culminate in a final overarching report in September. This month's report was focused on ways to restrict criminals' ability to launder money and export profits, thereby reducing the country's attraction to transnational criminal groups. Symon said lawmakers needed to be bold if the country was to shift the dial on the growing problem of organised crime. "Organised crime is now effectively acting like large corporations who are there to make money and not concerned with how they make that money. "Illicit tobacco, methamphetamine, exploiting migrants is a way they can make money. Using all these opportunities to take advantage of the good will of the New Zealand public," Symon said. Symon said tougher controls on large cash purchases, carrying cash across the border and industries paying cash to fly beneath the radar would limit the potential for criminal exploitation. He said police and border control agencies needed to establish better communication and co-operation with financial institutions to enable them to stop scammers getting access to victims' money and to seize criminals' assets and funds more efficiently. "One of the things that keeps coming up is the need for us to work as a team. It's not just the police, not just Customs, not just these other enforcement agencies that can support them but it's looking more broadly than that. "Looking at our team as [including] the private sector, the banks, the telecommunications companies, the airfreight companies. All these different businesses than can help us collectively to work as a team to try and stamp out organised crime," he said. He said safeguards intended to protect from unjust seizures were instead contributing to a situation where confiscation processes were too slow and inefficient to provide effective disruption and deterrence. "We're trying to be very mindful that we don't want to interfere in a person's rights [but] what we're also trying to do is to offer up tools that might help the police and other enforcement agencies to immediately deal with the problem. To avoid situations where by the time we get to conviction the money's gone. "So to give agencies the opportunity to seize funds and seize assets now and then to go through the correct process to go through any court processes that might follow," Symon said. The group's report recommended the government attack organised crime by: Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Cambrian News
29-04-2025
- Health
- Cambrian News
NHS Wales 'in need of urgent attention and turnaround', review finds
A report by the by the Ministerial Advisory Group on NHS Performance and Productivity, which was set up in October to look at the effectiveness of current NHS Wales arrangements, gave a slew of recommendations to improve performance as it warned that 'the health and care system in Wales faces a major challenge.'
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Patients 'at risk of harm without NHS turnaround'
There is a "high risk" of increasing patient harm and poor value for taxpayers' money if there is not an "urgent improvement and turnaround" in the Welsh NHS, according to a group of independent experts. Waiting times, cancer treatment and emergency care were all cited as areas that needed addressing. The Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG), established by Health Secretary Jeremy Miles in the autumn also wants a "new focus" on leadership and how the NHS is held to account by the Welsh government. Accepting the report's 29 recommendations either completely or in part, Miles said it contained "some hard hitting messages" but insisted it was "essentially optimistic". Too few consequences for NHS underperformance - Miles 'I thought I would die waiting for an ambulance' The 68-page report was produced by experts who together have significant experience of working in the NHS in Wales and in England. The group was led by former chief operating officer for NHS England Sir David Sloman, who warned Wales "starts from a challenging position". He said this was due to its relatively old and sick population, worsening health inequalities, "historically high" waiting lists and a "very challenging" financial position. He said it was clear performance in many areas needed "urgent attention" and "turnaround". But the report insists these improvements should not be driven by new policies or targets but instead by a "relentless focus" on the delivery of existing commitments. The report's recommendations revolve around: Sharing best ways of working and reducing variation between health boards Strengthening medical or clinical voices within the NHS and Welsh government A commitment by the NHS to be more transparent and to "improve in public" Sharper accountability and performance management Reduction in bureaucracy Narrowing of targets Making extra funding from Welsh government conditional on performance Sir David said if health boards could learn more from each other that could help drive up performance. "The Welsh healthcare system is set up to succeed, and in many, many places it is," he added. "But the issue is, it's going really well in everything somewhere, but not everything everywhere. "And the key is how you generalise up and make everybody the same standard as the very best in terms of maybe performance." He said another priority was for the Welsh government to strengthen its processes of holding the NHs to account, describing current oversight systems "complex" and "muddy". "We do talk about in the report the need for a much clearer and sharper accountability framework," he said. "And I think clarifying, sharpening that up will really, really help. What I would say is other systems around the world struggle with this as well. This is not a unique challenge." While welcoming the expert panel's report, Miles admitted it did not always make comfortable reading. "There are some, you know, some hard hitting messages in the report about performance and productivity across the NHS as a whole... there are some tough messages in there, but, it's essentially an optimistic report, because it spells out a path towards how we can get that level of performance to where we all want it to be so people get fast access to the best possible care," he said. " I think it's a good report. I welcome it. It's challenging in many parts, but it also sets out, I think, a positive way forward, and I welcome it for that." However, the health secretary denied that his decision to bring in external experts to take a "fresh perspective" at NHS performance suggested the Welsh Labour government, after 26 years in charge, had run out of ideas. He argued instead, that it was a sign of a "government confident in its commitment to the NHS... that it's prepared to look to others to help us". Meanwhile, the expert panel pointed out that significant improvement should be possible in the Welsh NHS, due to the way it is structured and some of the ideas that underpin welsh health policy. In that respect the report argues "Wales should aspire to have the leading healthcare system in the world".
