- Hon Casey Costello
The Government is establishing a multi-agency Chief Executive Board on Transnational, Serious and Organised Crime (TSOC) to drive a stronger, more coordinated response, Associate Police Minister Casey Costello announced today.
"TSOC groups are increasingly targeting New Zealand and the wider Pacific region, causing significant harm to our communities and our economies, including through drug and people trafficking and money laundering," Ms Costello says.
"We see daily reports of the work and success of our enforcement agencies in combatting this activity, but organised crime is sophisticated, well-networked and constantly looking for vulnerabilities in our system and opportunities to make money. Essentially, we need better organised government to fight organised crime, and the Board will help deliver that."
"Our Methamphetamine Action Plan and the new TSOC Strategy released in December show the range of agencies involved and the initiatives being undertaken to fight organised crime. What the CEB provides is enhanced oversight and coordination of this work and it will provide the mechanism for focusing on system issues such as information sharing.
"In its report last year, the Ministerial Advisory Group on TSOC identified a need for clearer governance and stronger accountability across the system with a Ministerial lead and cabinet has endorsed that approach."
Established for a two-year period, the CEB will be co-chaired by the Comptroller of Customs and the Commissioner of Police. Ministerial responsibility for the TSOC CEB has been designated to Minister Costello by the Prime Minister.
This week, Cabinet has also agreed to a standalone Trafficking in Persons Action Plan to strengthen protections and improve support for victims.
"Many New Zealanders assume trafficking only happens overseas, Ms Costello says. "The reality is that it does occur here and can take many forms, including forced labour, forced criminality, sexual exploitation, forced marriage and domestic servitude. The fact it is often hidden from public view, can make it difficult to address."
The Plan focuses on strengthening prevention, victim identification and support, coordination across agencies, enforcement, and protection measures. It will build on the ongoing operational work of law enforcement and regulatory agencies and provide a framework for coordinated action across government agencies and community partners.
"Victims and survivors are at the heart of this work," Ms Costello says. "We want people experiencing exploitation to be identified earlier, supported appropriately, and protected from further harm."
The Plan delivers an agreed action under the Government's Transnational, Serious and Organised Crime Strategy and Action Plan 2026-2030.
"This is a practical step towards protecting vulnerable people and making it harder for traffickers to operate in New Zealand," Ms Costello says.
"We want to make New Zealand one of the hardest places in the world for organised criminal networks to operate and cause harm. Trafficking in persons has no place in New Zealand, and we are committed to preventing exploitation wherever it occurs."
