Kiri Tamihere-Waititi calls backlash to Mongrel Mob hui ‘manufactured outrage’
Te Pāti Māori general manager Kiri Tamihere-Waititi has dismissed criticism of MPs meeting Mongrel Mob members as orchestrated political attack.
What happened
Te Pāti Māori general manager Kiri Tamihere-Waititi criticised the cross-party backlash to Te Pāti Māori and Green MPs meeting and posing for photos with Mongrel Mob members at their South Auckland gang pad earlier this week, describing it as "manufactured outrage" from the right bloc. Te Pāti Māori MP Oriini Kaipara posted photos from a "health and wellbeing election hui" at the gang pad featuring her and MPs Hūhana Lyndon and Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke, and Greens candidate Michel Mulipola. In an Instagram video, Tamihere-Waititi said political opponents deliberately turned the hui into a scandal and accused the right of fearmongering to paint Labour as soft on crime. She said gang members are whānau and described the backlash as orchestrated to sow division. Labour leader Chris Hipkins said the meeting was an error of judgment and ruled out giving Te Pāti Māori or the Greens the police or corrections portfolios in a future coalition government. Greens co-leaders Marama Davidson and Chlöe Swarbrick defended engagement with marginalised communities.
Why it matters
On 14 October, Green Party and Te Pāti Māori candidates faced backlash after the Mongrel Mob meeting during the election campaign, with party leaders then defending engagement with marginalised communities. This follow-up shows how the controversy has intensified in the election period, with Te Pāti Māori pushing back against what they call orchestrated criticism while Labour distances itself from both parties.
Follow the whole thread: Greens and Te Pāti Māori Mongrel Mob engagement
Key facts
- Te Pāti Māori MPs Oriini Kaipara, Hūhana Lyndon and Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke met Mongrel Mob at South Auckland gang pad
- Greens candidate Michel Mulipola also present at hui
- Labour ruled out police and corrections portfolios for Te Pāti Māori and Greens in coalition government
- Marama Davidson made similar visit in 2021
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Coverage across the news outlets we track, as at publication.
What outlets are saying
NZ Herald
Election 2026: Kiri Tamihere-Waititi calls backlash to Mongrel Mob hui ‘manufactured outrage’
Rawiri Waititi's wife laid into the 'debacle' on Instagram.
Newstalk ZB
Election 2026: Kiri Tamihere-Waititi calls backlash to Mongrel Mob hui ‘manufactured outrage’
Kiri Tamihere-Waititi has criticised the cross-party rebuke of Te Pāti Māori and Green MPs meeting and posing for photos with Mongrel Mob members at their South Auckland gang pad, describing it as “manufactured outrage” from the right bloc.