Founded 1962 | Years active 1960s–present Membership (est.) 1,000+ | |
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Ethnicity Mixed, predominantly Māori and Polynesian | ||
Mongrel Mob is an organised street gang based in New Zealand that has a network of more than thirty chapters throughout the country. They are especially active in King Country, Opotiki, Waikato and Hastings. The Mongrel Mob's main rival is the Black Power gang and there have been several very public and violent clashes between the two gangs over the years.
Contents
History
The gang began with a group of mainly European youths from Wellington and Hawke's Bay in the 1960s. Legend within the gang holds that the name originated from the comments of a judge in the Hastings District Court, who referred to a group of men before him as "mongrels". Whatever the origin, the group embraced the term. By the late 1960s loose groups of rebellious young men in Wellington and Hawke's Bay were calling themselves Mongrels. By 1966 they were wearing patches bearing the name ‘Mongrel Mob’.
By about 1970 the Mongrels were also known as the Mongrel Mob, and the gang had expanded to include numerous Māori. Members consider Hastings in Hawke's Bay to be the gang's "Fatherland" or birthplace, and the gang first became known for its violence in Hawke's Bay. Later, similarly named groups sprang up around the country, forming their own independent chapters.
In the 2000s and 2010s, the Mongrel Mob is expanding into parts of Australia.
Chapters
According to Te Ara; in 2010, there are over 30 recognised chapters of the Mongrel Mob; including,
Insignia
Mongrel Mob colours are predominantly red and black. The patches usually feature a swastika and a British Bulldog wearing a German Stahlhelm, which supposedly is an image intended to offend as it is a British Bulldog wearing the helmet. The full implications of these images are not clearly understood or accepted by bearers of these well known symbols of German Fascism and Holocaust of World War Two. This is a consistent source of 'misunderstanding' with regard to international visitors to New Zealand. The patch is worn on the back of "patched members" – those considered 'loyal' and 'trustworthy' enough to be in the gang. The patch will also be tattooed on the member's body. Mob members are 'known for their tattooed faces and red bandannas.
Membership
The gang claims it offers a surrogate 'family' for young men, most of whom are often alienated from their family via joining. A majority of members are from New Zealand's Māori, European or other Polynesian ethnic groups, with Māori or part Māori predominating.
A "prospect" is a person who is loyal to the gang but is not a "patched member" yet and must normally do errands or "missions" to show his loyalty to his gang. A "prospect" normally has a "patched member" to report or "clock in" to. This "patched member" normally decides when it is time for the "prospect" to be "patched".
The hierarchy is: captain or president, vice president, sergeant at arms, patched members, prospects. In some cases they use younger blood gangs as prospects.
There were 934 members in prison in April 2013, making up more than a tenth of all New Zealand prisoners. In the Wellington region, there were an estimated 194 "patched members" in 2013.
Notable members
Organised crime
In 2001, The New Zealand Police launched Operation Crusade, A long police surveillance operation of the Christchurch-based Mongrel Mob Aotearoa chapter. The main purpose of the Operation was to disrupt and destroy a suspected drug sales-ring controlled by the Mongrel Mob. Over a 15-month period, the Operation targeted the gang using taps on the phones of known Mongrel Mob Aotearoa members and undercover police buying drugs from the gang. The operation culminated in co-ordinated raids resulting in nearly 40 arrests and a 'huge trial' in the High Court at Christchurch.
Joseph 'Junior' Wiringi and most of the chapter's top hierarchy were arrested in 2003 as part of the police investigation on more than 70 charges, including dealing in methamphetamine and magic mushrooms and possessing firearms. The operation confirmed the suspicions of Police and revealed brazen drug dealing from the gang's former headquarters on Wilsons Rd.
Other Incidents
Rent a Bro
In 2005, Mongrel Mob Notorious and its leader Roy Dunn started a labour-hire business. The company will undertake painting, demolition, and other tasks for those who hire. When asked what exactly the company will undertake, Mr Dunn replied, "You name it, we'll do it." He also added, "We are setting this up for our kids, creating the employment, bringing them in."
A search on the New Zealand Companies Office showed that Mr Dunn was a joint-shareholder in two separate companies, both named Rent A Bro Limited at one point, however the older company's name was changed to BRO 2007 Limited in 2011, just months before the second company was incorporated. BRO 2007 was incorporated in 2007 as Rent A Bro Limited and changed its name to BRO 2007 Limited in 2011 and subsequently removed from the company registry in 2012. Rent A Bro Limited was incorporated in 2011 and was removed from the company registry in 2013.
The Hauora Programme
In 2010, Mongrel Mob Notorious President Roy Dunn and his Māngere-based Notorious Chapter of the Mongrel Mob announced The Hauora Programme partnership with The Salvation Army to combat the Methamphetamine drug use in New Zealand. By 2013, they had completed five intakes of 'P' users who wanted to rid themselves of addiction.
In a press release via The Salvation Army, Mr Dunn stated, "When our whanau arrive at rehab, we discover how some of them have been living—and the effects of this on their kids. Many onlookers could say that we do things to excess, and maybe that is true. Our journey so far has been about learning. We still do and get things wrong because we don’t necessarily know how to do things differently. I ask my leaders all the time to consider changing what they know for a different way. I haven’t always had total acceptance of this journey. It continues to be one step at a time... ...As our rehabs have progressed—we have just had our fifth rehab programme—I ask myself, has this journey been worth it? I guess my answer is that every time I bury another one of my bros, my gut turns, and so I keep going on this journey. I remind myself of where we have come from and our vision to see our children free. Our vision to know and understand values that see us embrace that which we are good at: being whanau, looking out for each other, and having a good future for our kids."