Dairy & Business Owners Group

30/07/2025

Ankit Bansal, Dairy and Business Owners Group chair, says his focus will be on getting the Government to listen to the needs of retailers.

The chairman of an association working with thousands of dairy owners says retail crime is taking its toll on small businesses who need support to keep their livelihoods afloat.

29/07/2025

Dairy and Business Owners Group chair Ankit Bansal says these proposed changes are 'unfair' as the banks can still charge whatever transaction fees they like.

The Government's recent ban on on payment card surcharges has been met with criticism from the retail and hospitality sectors.

19/12/2024

Happy Friday, friends and supporters!

Here is the copy of the Justice Select Committee’s final report on our petition. It was presented to the House of Representatives, published, and publicly released this week.

A huge thank you to the 40,000 members of the public who supported the petition. It’s about time we put the crime genie back into the bottle.

04/12/2024

A heartfelt congratulations to the Motor Trade Association (MTA) and Dairy & Business Owners Group Inc (DBOG) for signing a memorandum to join hands in advocating for safer businesses under the banner of "Safer Shops", a new milestone for safer Businesses!

This ambitious initiative, which began as a discussion earlier this year, is now a reality. Special kudos to MTA Chief Executive Lee Marshall, Head of Advocacy James McDowall, and Head of Communications Simon Bradwell, as well as DBOG, Chair Manish Thakkar, and Vice Chair Ash Parmar, for their outstanding leadership in making this happen.

The formation of Safer Shops is a pivotal step forward. It brings together two powerful organisations, collectively representing over 10,000 businesses nationwide, to campaign for greater protections for dairies, liquor stores, and service stations. This unified voice will strongly advocate for impactful measures against crime, ensuring the safety of business owners, employees, and customers alike.

Best wishes to MTA and Dairy & Business Owners Group Inc. as they embark on this crucial journey for safer businesses in New Zealand. Together, we can create safer environments for everyone.

26/06/2024

Well done NZ Police for a swift action in apprehending the offenders of the aggravated robbery and brutal assault on Pooja Jewellery store in Papatoetoe. Now all eyes are on the justice system, it must hold the perpetrators accountable.

Police have made numerous arrests as simultaneous search warrants were carried out over recent aggravated robberies across Tāmaki Makaurau.

29/05/2024

We successfully organized another significant meeting between retailers, victims of crime, and government ministers to address the pressing issue of retail crime in Hamilton. It was a was productive and interactive meeting, took place with notable attendance from several high-ranking officials: the Minister of Justice Hon Paul Goldsmith, Minister of Police, Minister of Corrections Hon Mark Mitchell, Mayor of Hamilton Paula Southgate, Superintendent Bruce Bird, and other senior Police officials.

During the session, Hamilton's retailers sent a resounding message emphasizing the need for a zero-tolerance approach to retail criminals. Our collective goal is to ensure that no one else falls victim to senseless crime in our community.

Special thanks go out to Ash Parmar, Manish Thakkar, Rupinder Virk, Sandeep Aggarwal, Waikato Retailers Association and numerous other retailers for strongly sharing their concerns and contributing to our efforts toward creating safer communities and businesses in New Zealand.

13/05/2024

Attention Small Business Owners in Hamilton/Waikato region!

Join us this Saturday, May 18th, 2024, for a critical meeting addressing safety concerns of small business owners in the Waikato region. For the first time in years, the Ministers of Justice, Minister of Police, Minister of Corrections, local MPs and NZ Police authorities fronting up together and directly engaging with retailers - dairies, convenience stores, liquor stores, and service stations - to tackle brazen incidents of crime head-on.

When: Sat, 18 May
Time: 2pm
Where: Hamilton
Venue: TBA.

This is your opportunity to voice your concerns and ask questions directly to the ministers. Let's ensure the safety of our communities and businesses. For more details, contact Sunny Kaushal, Ash Parmar, Manish Thakkar, Jay Randhawa or send a message or email
[email protected]

See you there!

30/04/2024

The retail crime pandemic is far from being under control.

Stopping crime is not rocket science, there are plenty of good examples where active policing, where offenders know they will not get away with their crimes, has proven to solve far tougher problems than retail crime in NZ. We need to stop retail crime and we know how to do it, we just need the government and the police to implement the changes necessary.