The funeral procession for murdered Mongrel Mob leader Steven Taiatini. Photo / Andrew Warner
The funeral procession for murdered Mongrel Mob leader Steven Taiatini. Photo / Andrew Warner
Opinion
EDITORIAL
Just over a week ago Mongrel Mob Barbarians president Steven Rota Taiatini was mown down by a vehicle in his hometown of Ōpōtiki.
Police initially described the killing as a “disorder-related incident” but it is the ensuing scenes of disorder that have incensed many “right-thinking” New Zealanders.
Hundreds ofgang members aligned with the Barbarians chapter poured into the Eastern Bay of Plenty town, where the population is usually just a head or two over 5000. The gang “presence” was highly visible and set about making as much of a spectacle of itself as humanly possible.
Motorcycles were revved to screaming and clutches popped to spin “wheelies”, the smell of burnt tyre rubber filled the air. Cars cruised around with passengers sitting out of windows or on rooftops, barking and gesturing with gang hand signals at passers by.
Gang members and vehicles lined a street near the Ōpōtiki address where Taiatini was lying. Ōpōtiki and Whakatāne were effectively shut down on Wednesday as Taiatini’s Mongrel Mob funeral procession caused massive disruption. A closed highway created traffic chaos and police are investigating reports of gunshots.
Police investigating the death of Steven Taiatini in Ōpōtiki are seeking sightings of this vehicle. Photo / Police
Schools closed for the week, citing “heightened emotions” following Taiatini’s death, and extra police staff had been brought in to provide round-the-clock coverage in the town.
National Party leader Christopher Luxon said the Prime Minister needed “do his job” to ensure Kiwis felt safe in their homes. He cited the figure of gang membership being up 66 per cent under the Labour Government.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins was drawn on to condemn the procession, saying “gangs contribute nothing to society” and“gang convoys suck for everybody who is disrupted by them”.
“One of the reasons that we’ve changed the law to give police more powers to crack down on gangs is because I don’t have any time for that kind of behaviour.”
At the heart of this, a man has been killed. Yes, he was a patched head of a loathed group, one doesn’t become a mob boss by being a saint. But Puwhakamua rehabilitation programme founder Billy Macfarlane snr says Taiatini should be acknowledged for the “good stuff he’s done”.
“He’s worked seriously hard to help make changes in the methamphetamine harm space. He and his partner, Pauline, have done a lot of work even in Rotorua.”
Macfarlane said Taiatini’s death was a “tragedy” and that he was “going to be missed”. “He wasn’t a bad guy. He was quite a pleasant fellow to talk to and he wanted to do good.”
There should be no surprise that there are some very emotional reactions to such an atrocity. The scenes in and around Ōpōtiki this week are frustrating but, by looking at the underlying narrative, understandable.
Police might have initially underestimated the influx of gang members and associates into the area but that could be a measure of the esteem held for Taiatini. Officers moved within days to restore some order, as new laws over unauthorised gang convoys were enforced. Vehicles identified as being involved were searched, and firearms, ammunition and offensive weapons were located in five. Four people were charged.
Scenes of amassed mobsters are spectacular and compelling. There’s a natural vicarious fascination with people who apparently live outside the law.
But boil down what has happened this week in Eastern Bay of Plenty and the underlying plot is much less alarming, more mundane.
Someone has been run down and killed; associates have demonstrated their anger and grief, as well as attempting a show of strength to whatever factions might be behind the crime; police have taken incremental measures to calm the situation while also conducting a homicide investigation; schools prudently advised families to keep their children at home.
Unfortunately, shots are fired and motorcades occur every other weekend in our cities, two gangs held large “runs” in Auckland on Friday. Ōpōtiki is not the smoking gun that the Government is soft on crime or that police are toothless.
Continued, considered efforts to prevent people from becoming involved with gangs are still the best long-term strategy for reducing these kinds of episodes.
