Greens and Te Pāti Māori MPs defend meeting Mongrel Mob on campaign trail

What happened

Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson and Te Pāti Māori MPs Oriini Kaipara and Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke defended attending a whānau, health and wellbeing election hui with Mongrel Mob members after Mongrel Mob lifetime member Harry Tam posted images on social media. The Greens' Hūhana Lyndon and candidate Michel Mulipola also attended. Davidson said the party was unapologetic about engaging with marginalised communities and that meeting gangs was not new – she had visited Mongrel Mob gatherings in 2021. Co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said the engagement was about understanding and addressing community issues, contextualising it within the Royal Commission on Abuse in State Care. National's justice spokesperson Paul Goldsmith said the Greens and Te Pāti Māori were prioritising gangs over victims, while Labour leader Chris Hipkins called it a strategic error and ruled out giving either party police or corrections portfolios in government. Victims' advocates and a lifelong gang member also criticised the appearance. The Greens said they met with victims too and that pushing gangs to the margins was not working. Davidson also acknowledged some victims would be re-traumatised by the photos.

Key facts

• Harry Tam posted images showing the meeting on social media
• Marama Davidson previously visited Mongrel Mob members in 2021
• Hūhana Lyndon is a sitting Green MP and health spokesperson
• Chris Hipkins ruled out police or corrections portfolios for Greens and Te Pāti Māori

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Coverage across the news outlets we track, as at publication.

Where the outlets differ

The NZ Herald prominently featured Chlöe Swarbrick's reluctance to say whether she would have advised against the meeting and her need to understand more context. The Otago Daily Times led with Labour's Willie Jackson criticising it as a strategic error in an election campaign. Newstalk ZB emphasised victims' advocates and former gang members expressing concern. The NZ Herald later reported the Greens said they were open to funding Mongrel Mob programmes on drug addiction, which National seized on as evidence of prioritising gangs.

What outlets are saying