John MacDonald: Labour soft on gangs? Nash says no, no, no, yes

When I heard that former Police Minister Stuart Nash was spilling the beans on what happened when he tried to get a zero limit on how much property gang members could keep if it was the result of illegal activity, I thought he should pull his head in. 

Because, call me old fashioned, my thinking is that once someone has retired from politics, they should keep the skeletons to themselves. 

But am I glad he’s done what he’s done, because it shows that Chris Hipkins is exactly what people on the left accuse Christopher Luxon of being, which is a manager, not a leader. 

If someone wants to do something, managers tell them to go and talk to the relevant person in charge. And they rely on the advice of that particular person in charge.  

And, in this case, Hipkins relied on what Kiri Allan said, didn’t dispute it, and put Stuart Nash in his place.  

The even bigger revelation, though, is that it proves what people have been saying for a while now - that Labour went soft when it came to dealing with gangs. 

So, a bit of background. 

In March last year, the Labour government passed legislation which says if people involved with organised criminal groups can’t prove to a court that they’ve bought assets using legitimate money, anything valued at $30,000 or more can be seized by the police. 

But Stuart Nash, as police minister, didn’t want the $30,000 limit. He thought there should be a zero limit. Because, as he says, you can buy a Harley Davidson for under $30,000 which means —as it stands— the gang guys get to hold onto them. 

He also reckons that’s what the cops wanted too. And still do. 

So, he went to Hipkins and said he wanted a zero limit. Hipkins told Nash he needed to go and talk to Kiri Allan, because she was Justice Minister at the time.  

But, according to Nash, she wasn't up for it. One of the reasons being, that targeting gangs was anti-Māori. 

Which is nonsense. 

But, as Nash said on Newstalk ZB this morning, Chris Hipkins misjudged the public’s appetite for cracking down on gangs. And Labour paid the ultimate price. 

He also said that, if Labour doesn’t realise how much it’s cocked-up on this one, it can forget about getting back into government anytime soon. 

What do you think? 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.