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Traditional school after-ball parties are being used by gangs as a smokescreen to lure students from "well-to-do families" into the world of crime and drugs.
The claim has been made by some of Auckland's top police officers, following the recent arrests of a number of children from well-known New Zealand families.
An after-ball for Massey High School held in Cartwright Rd, west Auckland, was run by a gang. It is understood that more than 100 tickets were sold at a cost of $40 each.
"We are finding that good-looking ladies from well-to-do families are being targeted and the girls get sucked in because they want to be part of the scene that these gangs are into," a well-placed Auckland senior police officer told the Herald on Sunday.
The concerned officer was speaking out because he wanted the issue "brought to everyone's attention".
The source said "a lot" of after-ball parties were now run by gangs, with the help of students. Tickets are sold before the evening but an address is not disclosed until hours before the function, when students call a number to be given a location. Parents and teachers were often not aware of the links.
Massey High School principal Bruce Ritchie, said he was unaware students from his college attended an event at an address with gang links.
"The popular, pretty girls are the ones who organise a lot of parties and it's a place for these guys to distribute from," he said.
The after-ball parties follow a series of controversial events held several years ago by the Headhunters.
Westlake Girls' High School on Auckland's North Shore was forced to pull the plug on an after-ball party due to take place at the gang's Ellerslie headquarters.
Police and school management said such an event would pose a significant risk to students.
Gang bosses mounted a public relations offensive, claiming the events were strictly managed and did not involve the sale of alcohol.
A former Pakuranga College student who attended an after-ball party at the Headhunters' premises, Laura Davis, said the gang had been organising after-ball events for years without any issue.
"I never once feared for my safety and was impressed with the way things were run," she said.
"Sure, there were a few fights, but these were dealt with by our hosts, and those involved were made to leave. This also went for anyone who had consumed too much alcohol."
