The Old Hat, by Ken Franks.
Opinion
Gangs are not social service agencies.
When Green Party and Te Pāti Māori politicians trade smiles and photo-ops with patched Mongrel Mob members at a South Auckland campaign stop, they forfeit every right to lecture ordinary New Zealanders about law, order, and basic decency.
I have to admit, watching these scenes play out makes me wince. It feeds straight into every lazy, reactionary bias the right wing loves to lean on, handing critics the exact ammunition they want.
For years, politicians have tried to launder their credentials by cozying up to criminal syndicates under the guise of community outreach. These are not neighbourhood clubs; they are structured enterprises profiting directly from methamphetamine and intimidation.
So here are a couple of questions worth asking:
Why do politicians expect us to cheer when they validate the very people making our streets unsafe?
And what crosses the line from naive outreach into outright cowardice?
Now, I know gangs are a reality, and people will argue that not every individual in a patch is entirely beyond redemption. But at a certain point, personal agency matters. When given a choice, why on earth would anyone willingly join a group whose business model is fundamentally harmful to their own neighbourhood?
The real tragedy is what happens far away from the cameras. Government data shows that children raised in households associated with patched gangs face staggering rates of state intervention, abuse, and neglect.
Ordinary families living in those exact same suburbs manage to raise children, pay taxes, and survive through sheer hard work without ever needing a patched thug. There is a vast chasm between state agencies doing quiet, evidence-based social work and politicians showing up for a publicity stunt. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with patched members hands organized crime a slick veneer of democratic legitimacy.
If an elected representative lacks the spine to draw a straight line between helping vulnerable whānau and celebrating the criminals who exploit them, they have no business sitting in Parliament.