Before I set out to interview the multifaceted Sunny Kaushal, I wonder which Sunny Kaushal I’m going to meet.
The Dairy and Business Owners Group chairman who is unafraid of calling a spade a bloody shovel? The genial owner of Auckland’s iconic Shakespeare Hotel, Restaurant and Microbrewery? Or the founder of an inbound travel agency, wine exporter, real estate agent and father of two who loves historical documentaries?
Answer: the hungry Sunny Kaushal.
Lunch, he says, was a sandwich and jasmine tea (black, no sugar), scarfed down hours ago while on the hoof.
“I’ve been doing 18-hour days recently, meeting with affected shop owners, the police, taking media calls and organising vigils and protest marches,” says the 56-year-old, ticking off appointments on his fingers. “You’re my seventh interview of the day and I’ve got to keep an eye on the clock because after this, I’m going to Pakuranga to meet with the owners of a liquor store and a dairy who were robbed yesterday.”
Kaushal’s life has been one of perpetual motion, and missed meals, since earlier this year, when Aotearoa’s about 3500 convenience stores and nearly 1300 independent service stations started being increasingly hit by ram raids and aggravated robberies.
It is true that youth crime, and crime in general, has been on a downward trend in recent years. However, that’s little solace to these
