Police have used their new powers to crack down on unlawful gang behaviour in Ōpōtiki.
They seized weapons and ammunition in the Bay of Plenty town on Wednesday night, following the funeral of the Mongrel Mob's Barbarian president.
While local iwi are doing what they can to help ease the tension between the two rival gangs.
As the sun rose in Ōpōtiki on Thursday morning there was a sense of calm among the community.
It was a different story on Wednesday when thousands of Mongrel Mob members showed up in force to farewell Mongrel Mob Barbarians president Steven Taiatini.
"It went very well, as smooth as possible," iwi spokesperson Te Kahautu Maxwell said.
A huge and at times aggressive procession of gang members followed Taiatini's red Chevy from Ōpōtiki to Whakatāne, with a large police presence keeping watch and filming unlawful behaviour.
"We will be following up with those offenders and seizing and impounding vehicles," Bay of Plenty Police District Commander Superintendent Tim Anderson said.
Steven Taiatini was killed last Friday, igniting gang tensions and launching a homicide investigation.
Police finally confirmed on Thursday a burnt-out ute is likely to have been involved in his death.
"We are making progress on it, we have the best investigators on this," Supt Anderson said.
On Wednesday night, Police seized three firearms, six weapons and ammunition in Ōpōtiki and two people were charged with firearms offences.
That's due to new powers granted to police in March to deal with gang conflict.
"The new legislation is really working," Supt Anderson said.
"The fact they are using, for first time, new laws we have just put in place. It shows we made some good decisions about increasing the tools available to them," Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said.
The Prime Minister and National leader Christopher Luxon have been outspoken about the gang tensions in Ōpōtiki.
It prompted Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi to post a blistering video on Facebook on Wednesday night.
"Chris Luxon, Chris Hipkins need to shut their mouths, stop using our iwi as a political football. You need to take my iwi out of your mouths," he said.
Both politicians said on Thursday that they hadn't mentioned his iwi.
"I don't think what he said is a fair characterisation, either of what I said or the situation," Hipkins said.
"I will always open my mouth and stand up for New Zealanders," Luxon said.
Police are still searching for those responsible for Taiatini's death.
While local iwi Whakatōhea and Ngāti Awa met Thursday afternoon to find solutions to ease the anxiety in the area.
"It's about enabling a future that's safe for all," Maxwell said.
Despite the friction, iwi leaders say they are all related through whakapapa.
"We need to stay calm and let peace prevail," Maxwell said.
There's still more work ahead to see better outcomes for the little town of Ōpōtiki.
Tribal leaders ensure tikanga māori is observed going forward
To help resolve gang conflict between the Mongrel Mob and the Black Power, tribal leaders of the Eastern Bay of Plenty have band together to ensure Tikanga Māori is observed.
Te Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board spokesperson, Te Kāhautu Maxwell, spoke to Newshub and said “We're met with our Ngāti Awa whānau, our Ngāti Awa iwi, to navigate our way through this kaupapa in a whakapapa way and a tikanga way that will ensure the life and safety of our people, not just Māori, but the wider community of the Eastern, Bay of Plenty and the wider Bay of Plenty.”
CEO of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa, Reuben Araroa, says “From a Ngāti Awa perspective, obviously, we observed that tangi from afar. We trust in tikanga to actually lead the way. And these are the parts that the average New Zealand won't see through the media lens. And so we respect the tikanga and kawa of Whakatōhea and therefore we trust in that. And, you know, as descendants we all at some stage have applied the same tikanga.”
Tikanga Māori, the Māori customs and protocols, plays a significant role in guiding the rituals and practices surrounding a person's death. These traditions are not only important for the grieving process but also serve to maintain the cultural identity and spiritual connection of the Māori people. Both Maxwell and Araroa say whānau and those who attended the tangi of Steven (Tiwana) Taiatini have every right to express themselves the way they want to, when going through grief
“So yesterday was exactly that. And Steven (Tiwana) was accorded the sanctity and the tapū, and also the widow Harbour, our mokopuna and the family and the wider community of Ōpōtiki the tangihanga was guaranteed the sanctity and tapū that we guaranteed the whānau when (Tiwana) lost his life,” says Maxwell.
Speaking in his ancestral lands of Whakatāne Araroa says, “We actually understand our people more than most. And then we also start to understand the context in which our people live in. And how they require to express themselves in times of grief and in times of challenge and there are two sides to that. There is a side where we respond to challenge in a very leadership style of way. And then when we respond to grief, we need our own time. And we need the ability to express ourselves in a way that suits us at that time. Our role as rangatira and as leaders and iwi is to ensure that we do that in the safest way possible and I think that Whakatōhea and Ōpōtiki have demonstrated that really well.”
Dealing with conflict is nothing new to these tribal leaders. Just two weeks ago the Whakatōhea tribe had signed their Deed of Settlement with the Crown for its injustices and historical breaches of the Treaty that caused harm to the Whakatōhea iwi and its hapū (subtribes).
Maxwell says “we signed our Deed of Settlement, that caused friction between Whakatōhea and Ngāti Awa and it's a process that has been causes division instead of bringing us to give this as peoples and as iwi’s and as communities, it's a it's a process of division. 183 years after we signed the treaty, 158 years after all our land was stolen from us, we are used to being used as a political football. So we will work through this, this process our way. And a tikanga way, in a iwi way, and a Māori way, and a Mātātua way.”
Incorporating principles of Tikanga Māori such as Whakawhanaungatanga: Building Relationships and Strengthening Bonds, Manaakitanga: Mutual Respect and Hospitality, Whakapapa genealogy and understanding of shared histories, Korero Awhi: Mediation and Dialogue are some examples used by Māori through many kaupapa.
Maxwell says the tribe's approach is driven by tikanga to support the community as well as whakapapa (genealogy) to maintain peace.
“Five days now, we've been leading the rollout of our strategy, which is tikanga driven, and which is underpinned by aroha, manaaki which is help, assistance and support. One hundred percent tikanga has gone out to each of the communities within the Ōpōtiki wider community, not just the iwi and so how will the wider iwi with regard to Whakatōhea and Ngāti Awa help guide our people that are members of these gangs,” says Maxwell”
Understanding the historical context of intergenerational gang whānau is crucial as well, with at least 80 percent of gang members having been in the state care system and with most heading on a pathway to prisons later in life. However, New Zealand's colonial history has had lasting effects on its indigenous population, the Māori people. The arrival of European settlers disrupted traditional Māori societal structures, land ownership, and cultural practices. This disruption not only caused immediate dislocation but also set in motion a cycle of intergenerational trauma that continues to reverberate through Māori communities today.
The loss of land and cultural identity due to colonisation has had profound consequences for Māori communities. Displacement, economic marginalisation, and the erosion of cultural practices have contributed to a sense of disconnection and alienation. In the context of gangs, gangs have emerged as a response to the social, economic, and cultural dislocation experienced by many Māori individuals and families. Many of those involved in gang activity come from backgrounds characterised by poverty, limited educational opportunities, and a lack of social support networks. These circumstances create an environment where gang affiliation becomes an attractive alternative to mainstream society, offering a sense of belonging, identity, and protection.
Araroa says coming together as a community and working through the challenges is what it's all about, “I think, from a political position, I think most New Zealanders would understand that when there are great challenges in our community, we've always come together. And this is just another, you know, another challenge, a significant challenge, where not only Māori have come together but Pākehā but as descendants of the Mātātua waka we do have an obligation to support each other in times like this.”
The pandemic is where the community has already demonstrated working together, says Araroa.
“We've demonstrated that not only did we serve iwi but we served the community with our support through Marae, Civil Defense emergencies. I think that we should be looking at this issue in that light and the fact that Māori are starting to make decisions that actually fit the communities that we live in and also we understand the context. I think that's a different ideology that politicians don't understand fully. But it's nothing that the communities wouldn't understand. I think if you were to come to Whakatāne during this time, like today, it's very, very peaceful, it's a beautiful day and you wouldn't know that the events of yesterday had taken place and I think that's what's really missing when you're too far outside our region, and that you miss the context. But today, we stay here united as Mātātua descendants. And that's really the message that we're trying to convey here, that in challenging times, it's better together,” says Araroa.
Maxwell agrees with the sentiment and shared the proverbial saying or whakatauki ‘Mātātua Tawhararautia’ - Mātātua shelter yourselves - and says “we share the same objective of maintaining the peace and also saving lives which is our whakapapa.”
