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Concerns about amount spent by retail crime prevention group
Concerns about amount spent by retail crime prevention group

RNZ News

time3 days ago

  • Business
  • RNZ News

Concerns about amount spent by retail crime prevention group

The amount spent by a group set up to look at retail crime continues to come under scrutiny. It's been revealed that the Ministerial Advisory Group for Victims of Retail Crime, set up three and a half months ago amid a worrying spike in retail crime, has cost around half a million dollars. That includes nearly $330,000 on personnel costs; admin of $65,000; travel and accommodation of nearly $10,000; and $102,000 pay for group members fees, with most of that going to chairperson Sunny Kaushal's $92,000 paycheque. Mr Kaushal has defended the cost, saying that with $1.8 million available to the group, they're actually under-budget. Retail NZ chief executive and member of the Ministerial Advisory Group Carolyn Young spoke to Melissa Chan-Green. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.

New vape visibility law may put retailers at risk
New vape visibility law may put retailers at risk

RNZ News

time27-06-2025

  • Business
  • RNZ News

New vape visibility law may put retailers at risk

Photo: RNZ Ethnic business leaders claim new legislation on the sale and advertising of vape products is putting store owners at risk. Acknowledging their concern, police and health authorities are offering support to help retailers navigate the new restrictions. From 17 June, vaping devices, products and packaging can no longer be displayed at general retailers . Specialist vape stores must not display products in any way that makes them visible from outside their place of business - that includes advertising, displays in online stores and in vending machines. Retailers claim the changes will force them to cover windows, with the loss of visibility from the street making them easy targets for retail crime. Two members of the government's advisory group on retail crime expressed similar concerns. Sunny Kaushal, chair of the advisory group, said he was "really worried" about the loss of street visibility for vape stores. "It even goes against police's own business crime prevention guidance for retailers," Kaushal said. "[It] advises improving visibility to increase safety," he said. "The guidance says: 'The better you can see both within your business and outside your business, the less risk of crime. The darker your business is, and the more hidden you are from the street, the greater the opportunity for theft and robbery'. "Are windows clear of posters and displays to allow visibility from the checkout counter to outside? "Vape stores remain some of the most targeted retail shops for ramraids, burglary or robberies because what they sell is easily fenced." As fines for non-compliance could cost as much as $50,000, Kaushal said the only way to avoid punishment was to apply frosted film to windows and doors. "That'll put retailers at risk," he said. Dairy and Business Owners Group vice-chair Himanshu Parmar, who is also a member of the advisory group on retail crime, claimed the stricter display rules would leave small retailers "unfairly burdened and dangerously exposed". "Forced to hide high-value vapes behind counters or out of sight, these businesses become prime targets for theft and violent robberies," Parmar said, noting that retailers experienced an uptick in crime when tobacco display bans were introduced in 2012. Jaspreet Kandhari, general secretary of the New Zealand Indian Business Association, said the legislation contained "ambiguity around visibility standards". "Notably, bottle store outlets are advised to keep the outside windows clear, whereas vape shops have been issued an advisory to screen the outside windows to block access." Rajesh Goyal, president of the Auckland Indian Retailers Association, called on the government to educate retailers, many of whom were unclear about what was permitted under the changes. "Retailers want to do the right thing," Goyal said. "But they need support, not just penalties. Together, we can make our town centres safer and healthier, especially for our rangatahi." The Health Ministry acknowledged retailers' concerns about crime prevention in relation to visibility. "For this reason, the legislation is not prescriptive in the requirement to cover front windows. It requires that retailers ensure their products are not visible from outside the store," a spokesperson said in a statement. "Retailers can consider how to best comply with this requirement based the layout of their individual stores, and any concerns and preferences they may have. "[Retailers] may consider using enclosed display units so products cannot be seen from outside the store. "[Or] arranging shelves and counters so that vaping products and packaging are not visible from the doorway or windows. "[Or] using partial walls, screens or shelving units to block lines of sight from outside the store." The Health Ministry restated the government's commitment to achieving its Smokefree 2025 goal. "This means ensuring that people have the practical tools and supports to quit smoking, including being able to access vapes. Many people have switched from smoking to vaping and this has been a contributing factor to recent drops in smoking rates," the spokesperson said. "At the same time, the government would like to see youth vaping rates come down and has introduced a number of measures to tackle youth vaping, including restricting the visibility of vapes so they are out of the general public's sight." Police would be available to help retailers navigate the implementation of the new laws with a view of maintaining the best possible balance with prevention initiatives, said George Grove, supervisor of the National Retail Investigation Support Unit. "In terms of crime prevention advice, there are many things police can recommend for consideration," Grove said. "Some things retailers could consider include: having the checkout counter near the door, having the cash register bolted to the counter, having vapes in a locked opaque cabinet, having a screen in place to prevent people getting behind the checkout counter, good lighting, ensuring the entire business is visible from the checkout counter, having carefully positioned mirrors and CCTV, and considering security measures such as fog cannons. "In vape shops - where there are a large number of vapes in glass cabinets and uncovered windows - retailers could consider frosting parts of the cabinets so they aren't visible externally if their windows aren't covered or having lower wall shelves and partially covering lower parts of external windows."

Review of early childhood education funding announced
Review of early childhood education funding announced

RNZ News

time16-06-2025

  • Business
  • RNZ News

Review of early childhood education funding announced

David Seymour said the review was designed to ensure the $2.7 billion for early childhood education prioritised the right things and went as far as it could. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone A group reviewing funding for the early childhood sector has been told to consider making trade-offs between the quality of early learning and its cost. Associate education minister David Seymour on Tuesday announced the launch of a review of how the government funds early childhood education. The review's terms of reference say an advisory group will provide advice on matters including how government funding could be structured to provide better participation, education outcomes, and labour market participation. It would also advise on: "The balance between quality and affordability for services and parents/caregivers reflected in the funding system, including its contribution to an appropriate mix of minimum standards and quality inputs, such as adult-to-child ratios or proportions of qualified teachers." The document said too high a cost restricted access to early childhood education. "Higher cost is partly driven by quality factors, particularly better adult-to-child ratios and higher teacher pay," it said. It also said the funding system was complex. "For example, multiple funding mechanisms concurrently operate to incentivise higher levels of certificated teachers, designate levels of teacher pay, and reduce costs for particular groups of children. In a system with multiple funding streams, this creates complexity for both parents and services." The document will fuel fears that regulations protecting the number of qualified teachers and their pay are under threat. The review document said too high a cost restricted access to early childhood education. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly Currently, at least 50 percent of the teaching staff in licensed services must be qualified teachers and services receive higher rates of government subsidy if they have more teachers and if they agree to give their teachers pay parity with kindergarten and school teachers. The government has watered down the pay parity requirements - last year removing any obligation to pay qualified relief teachers pay parity rates and this year allowing centres to pay newly-qualified teachers at the bottom step of the scale regardless of prior qualifications and experience. The latter move prompted the Teaching Council to warn the government not to undermine a well-qualified early childhood sector. In a statement, David Seymour said the funding review would ensure families had better access to affordable services. He said the review was designed to ensure the $2.7 billion set aside by the government for early childhood education prioritised the right things and went as far as it could. Seymour said the current funding system was too complicated and support might not reach families who needed it most. "It confuses families, providers struggle to forecast financial sustainability, and parents take time off work when they can't access care," said Seymour. He said there weren't plans to cut funding, and any changes would allow the industry to expand. Seymour said it was important taxpayers got value for money. "We want to be certain that taxpayer money is being used effectively," he said. "The ECE funding system should provide the best return on investment for taxpayers." He said each family had different requirements when it came to early childhood services. "We don't know if the 'one size fits all' funding approach in ECE works for parents who don't have traditional working arrangements or consistent patterns of child attendance." "These parents are often the most disadvantaged," Seymour said. The review group will be chaired by early childhood centre owner Linda Meade, and includes Early Childhood Council chief executive Simon Laube, Auckland Kindergarten Association chief financial officer Melissa Glew, early childhood centre owner Kelly Seaburg, Auckland University academic Dr Kane Meissel, social policy expert Dr Michael Fletcher, and Fletcher Building chief people officer Kylie Eagle. The group is expected to report its findings this time next year.

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