Economy Watch · Interest.co.nz / Podcasts NZ, David Chaston, Gareth Vaughan, interest.co.nz

Steve Symon: Following the money while playing whack-a-mole against the large commercial enterprises of organised crime

·40 min·3 clips

Organised crime has become the top threat to New Zealand's security, with meth decimating rural communities and fraud hitting one in ten Kiwis.

This episode features Steve Symon, former Crown Prosecutor and chair of New Zealand's Ministerial Advisory Group on Transnational, Serious and Organised Crime, discussing the group's final report and recommendations. Host Gareth Vaughan explores the government's new plan to combat organised crime, which Symon helped design following alarming 2024 wastewater results showing spikes in methamphetamine and cocaine use. Symon explains the advisory group included ex-police officers like John Timms, financial expert Craig Hamilton, academic Jared Gilbert, and Owen Lofenlechner, who understood private sector cooperation. The report describes transnational organised crime as New Zealand's number one national security threat, citing methamphetamine decimation in rural communities and fraud affecting one in ten New Zealanders. Symon details how organised crime exploits migrants in industries like Hawke's Bay fruit picking and corrupts border officials, referencing baggage handler teams at Auckland Airport working in "whack-a-mole" fashion. He warns of emerging threats like a black market in tobacco, following Australia's trajectory, and longer-distance narco submarines arriving directly from source countries. A key recommendation is appointing a dedicated Minister of Organised Crime to coordinate at least 17 disparate agencies currently involved, including Police, Customs, MBIE, and the IRD. Symon argues for a "champion" in Cabinet to overcome obstacles like inter-agency information sharing and to drive the creation of a centralized "data lake." The group proposes broadening legal definitions of money laundering offenses to capture those who are "willfully blind" and making high-risk industries like banking more accountable. Symon identifies cash as the primary currency of organised crime and advocates for a faster transition to a cashless society. The report specifically recommends requiring traceable wage payments in construction, hospitality, and agriculture, and prohibiting cash payments to lawyers, accountants, and real estate agents. It also calls for eliminating cryptocurrency ATMs, often found in vape shops, until the industry can be properly regulated. International cooperation is deemed critical, with Symon noting New Zealand and Australia are among the world's highest-paying narcotics markets, making Pacific Island nations vulnerable transit points. The proposed solution is not a large new ministry but a nimble, coordinating agency with a board of chief executives, modeled on the COVID-era border executive board. Success metrics would include reduced drug levels in wastewater and lower financial losses from fraud. The tone is educational and conversational, with the host asking detailed policy questions. Symon speaks from two decades of prosecutorial experience, offering a pragmatic, insider perspective on systemic challenges. This episode would strongly appeal to listeners interested in New Zealand public policy, law enforcement strategy, and the financial mechanics of crime. Those seeking light entertainment or partisan political debate might find the detailed administrative discussion too niche.

As heard by us

A policy-focused look at making organised crime less profitable and harder to run.

This episode treats organised crime as a business, and a policing problem that follows from that. Steve Simon argues that money laundering sits at the centre of it all, and that New Zealand needs to be a harder place for organised crime to work.

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Need the money-laundering fight explained without slogans?

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