Onehunga bus stabbing

Transport Minister Simeon Brown said he is angry about the woman who was fatally stabbed on a bus in broad daylight.

He told Ryan Bridge on Newstalk ZB he did not know anything about the victim, but that it was an absolutely tragic situation. 

"It's really important we now work across Auckland to make sure we are restoring confidence for Aucklanders to use public transport."

Brown said it was safe to travel on a bus or a train in Auckland, but said there were real challenges about law and order across New Zealand.

"That's why we are really focusing our police back on the frontline."

He said he was meeting with Police Minister Mark Mitchell, and officials from police and Auckland Transport on Friday about the situation and what could be done. 

Asked if Kael Leona should have been on the streets given his prior offending, Brown said he didn't know all of the details but admitted it made him worried.

"I feel like most Aucklanders probably feel this morning. Which is a sense of anger, a sense of concern.

"And I think the key thing here is whether you are walking down the street or going on a bus or a train, you deserve to feel safe."

Brown said that's why the government was changing the Sentencing Act to make it harder to get parole and reducing discounts to people's sentences.