Full Breakdown
Greens and Te Pati Maori Face Backlash Over Mongrel Mob Campaign Visit
By Drooid · · How we work
The Controversial Engagement
Green Party health spokeswoman Huhana Lyndon and candidate Michel Mulipola met with members of the Mongrel Mob at a gang pad south of Auckland. Te Pati Maori MPs Oriini Kaipara and Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke joined the photo-op, framed as a discussion of “health and wellbeing” for the gang community. Co-leader Marama Davidson defended the outreach, saying the Greens will continue attending such events and that “engagement and prevention” are central to their policy agenda.
Political Reactions
Labour leader Chris Hipkins called the visit “ill-judged” and warned that, if a Labour-Greens-Te Pati Maori coalition forms, the Greens and Te Pati Maori would be excluded from the police and corrections portfolios. He said “gangs peddle misery” and that funding should not go to organisations run by gang figures.
National Party justice spokesman Paul Goldsmith described the Greens’ openness to funding gang-run meth-addiction programmes as a “sick joke” and a “slap in the face” for families affected by meth.
Greens’ Position
Davidson reiterated that the Greens are an “evidence-based party” that will fund programmes that demonstrably reduce meth-related harm. Co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick emphasized the need to understand the lived experience of marginalised communities, rejecting the notion that the visit was a vote-seeking stunt.
Impact on Election Dynamics
Analysts say the controversy could dent the Greens’ recent poll gains, potentially shifting voters back to Labour or to the centrist Opportunity Party and weakening the Greens’ leverage in coalition talks.
Data & Statistics
In 2021 the government allocated $2.75 million from the Proceeds of Crime Fund to a Mongrel Mob-led meth-rehabilitation programme developed by lifetime member Harry Tam. The programme is now cited in the debate over public funding for gang-run initiatives.
Official Statements & Responses
- ACT MP Nicole McKee highlighted her party’s platform, citing legislation that bans public display of gang patches and proposing stricter sentencing for repeat offenders.
Criticism & Opposition
National and ACT framed the Greens’ engagement as legitimising gang activity. Goldsmith argued the coalition’s approach would reverse law-and-order gains, while McKee questioned why the parties had not first met victims of gang violence. Both parties suggested the outreach could alienate voters affected by gang-related crime and drug addiction.
Verbatim Quotes
- “This old sort of way of trying to push people under the carpet, it doesn’t work. It never has. The community initiatives know what works. They have got the receipts already. We will support more of that work.” — Paul Goldsmith, National justice spokesman
- “The kaupapa [theme] wasn’t about us but about the health and wellbeing of the Mob community. Many will raise eyebrows, throw stones and cast judgment over our visit but the truth is, every member of a gang is a member of a whanau, a whakapapa [lineage] and a part of New Zealand society.” — Paul Goldsmith, National justice spokesman