Crime

Tama Potaka is a National MP for Hamilton West, whose previous roles include being chief executive of Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki in Auckland, a senior adviser to the NZ Super Fund and a general manager at Tainui Group Holdings in Hamilton.

OPINION: I have reflected on a recent Waikato Times article suggesting that criminal behaviour is not out of control and crime in Hamilton has not reached a tipping point . Respectfully, and in my opinion, the emergency of violent crime – particularly towards retailers in Hamilton – is out of control and beyond a tipping point.

It is a privilege to be the MP for Hamilton West. My role involves me being a visible and engaged representative for all New Zealanders in Hamilton West as well as providing a strong voice for our electorate and city in Parliament. During my by-election campaign and over my time in office, I have met with and listened to hundreds of businesses owners. They are also family members – mums, dads, grandparents and children.

Their stories reinforce a huge desire for our city to be a vibrant, dynamic, and safe place. Their aspirations for business and whānau are inspiring, motivating and enthusing. Many business owners have migrated to Hamilton from overseas – particularly from India and Asia, and also from the Pacific Islands, Africa, Europe and the Americas. They thrive on taking personal responsibility and doing the work to get the rewards they deserve.

READ MORE: Retail crime unlikely to reach ‘tipping point’ in Hamilton, says expert Hamilton City Council trialling spray-on anti-skid surface to stop burnouts Knock, knock: Store controlling customer entry after shoplifting, assaults

Many of their stories also reflect absolute fear, anxiety, and distress – mainly because of a small group of violent criminal offenders who continue to terrorise hardworking Hamiltonians through violent threats and behaviour. The increasing violence against Hamilton business owners has been publicly reported on an incident basis (for example Machete-wielding robber chops off dairy worker’s fingers in vicious attack or Overnight ram-raids replaced with something worse in Waikato ) as well as not being publicly reported (for example two young women working in a coffee shop on Anglesea Street threatened several times last week by the same armed offender as they opened the shop and served customers).

Some business owners want to sell up and go back overseas only because of the criminal behaviour. The police are doing their best to restore order however are challenged by resources, government policies and judicial throughput. Aggravated robberies have increased dramatically since Labour came into government in 2017. Nationwide, the Government’s data shows that there was a ram raid every ten hours in 2022 – over 500% more than 2017. Retail crime jumped by 40% last year compared to 2021.

Criminals do not need vehicles to ram raid, burgle and rob at night. They just take guns and knives to brazenly terrorise and maim hardworking Hamiltonians during the middle of the day often while shoppers of all ages are in the shop. Violence is happening everywhere in our great city – St Andrews, the CBD, Rototuna, River Road, The Lake, Dinsdale, Frankton, Glenview and beyond. Criminals in Hamilton operate with impunity under a government that is soft on crime, which is more interested in being tough on spin than hard on fix. In my view, the situation is beyond a tipping point.

The impact of increasing criminal violence is multi-faceted. There is physical harm – fingers getting chopped off by machetes and business owners being beaten by weapons and fists. The wife of the Irvine Street dairy victim had a miscarriage shortly after this notorious incident in December 2022.

There is psychological and wairua (spiritual) harm – our community becomes more suspicious and pessimistic. There is economic harm – businesses lose out and insurance coverage becomes untenable. Shopping areas like the CBD turn into ghost-towns as people are too scared to work or go into town. Finally, there is social and whānau harm – families are broken through other harms and livelihoods being ripped away. All New Zealanders are worse off for the selfish behaviours that create these harms.

The assertion that concerns around retail crime is “not matched to the realities of the risks that are being posed at the moment” is factually inaccurate and unpersuasive. When visiting people like Praveen at the Liquor Centre Glenview or Ash at the Flagstaff superette , I see the brutality of harm inflicted and feel the weight of nervousness resting on their shoulders. Ditto the owners of the Claudelands superette or the Donny Avenue Dairy who have either closed or are closing shortly due to the ongoing violence. It is generally the case that no one from the government even fronts up to comfort them or listen to their concerns. Academic research opining that “the likelihood of them actually being a victim of serious assault is very low” matters very little when you are at the point of a butcher knife or the barrel of a gun.

I have significant empathy and hope for business owners who are trying to make a living in often traumatic circumstances. Hamilton and New Zealand need more focus on restoring law and order, and less focus on whether we are near or far from a tipping point. Labour and the new Police Minister’s key objective is to reduce prison numbers.

National will focus on working with and supporting Police, tackling gangs , and combatting youth offending to reduce crime so that all New Zealanders feel safe and are safe. We will recalibrate the legal consequences for violent criminal behaviour. This approach will need making sure young people are at school or otherwise engaged in meaningful learning, addressing the cost of living crisis, and strengthening economic opportunities. Our social investment approach which will involve engaging with community and iwi/Māori groups who can assist with restoring safety in our city, will be fundamental. A whole of community effort is needed for a whole of community emergency – not more opinion suggesting that crime is not at a tipping point.

Mā kahurangi, mā mangumangu, mā pango, mā whero, mā kākāriki, mā kōwhai, mā pāpura, e oti ai te mahi.

Through blue, the dark, the black, the red, the green, the yellow, and purple the work will be done.