Covid self-isolation times slashed, an explosion in state housing unpaid rent and polar explorer Ernest Shackleton's ship Endurance has been found after 107 years in the latest NZ Herald headlines. Video / NZ Herald
A Mongrel Mob member at the centre of complaints from a group of terrified Kāinga Ora neighbours says he's been unfairly judged due to his gang links and it's his family that's copping the abuse.
The man, who the Herald has agreed not to name, is linked to the notorious gang and served jail time after spitting on police officers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking to the Herald, he denied claims he'd threatening to burn down his neighbours' houses or that he'd intimidated and abused them, saying the opposite was true.
"Some of them just don't like us.
"They're like a backstabbing little group. They have their ups and downs but we don't worry about what happens in their houses, we only worry about what's happening in our own lives."
The man has lived at the Weir Lane Kāinga Ora complex in Silverdale for about three years.
On Monday the Herald reported that terrified neighbours were begging the state housing agency to be relocated to escape alleged violence and intimidation from the man and his associates.
The neighbours claimed they were living in fear following a series of incidents which included a teenage girl being run over by a vehicle during an out-of-control party, and another neighbour being beaten by a group of six men, before firing a BB rifle at his assailants to stop the attack.
"We just want to get out of here for the kids' sake," a scared neighbour told the Herald.
However, the mobster said it was unfair to judge him due to his gang links or his past.
Though he was part of the Mob, he did not bring gang members to his house and his family got along well with most of the neighbourhood, he said.
"I don't bring no Mongrel Mob members here.
"They just look at me because Mongrel Mob is Mongrel Mob, and Mongrel Mob is the baddest. But just because I'm the Mob doesn't mean they can judge me."
The man claimed his children had been targeted by the neighbour's BB rifle and other neighbours had thrown bottles and rocks at his family.
"We don't go around throwing bottles and abusing people."
He asked not to be named as he and his partner were trying to get their children back from a placement with extended family.
The man's partner told the Herald their Weir Lane neighbours didn't like them and the family had "never really been able to fit in".
"They're going around making false allegations. Apparently, we are a really bad family and we beat up our children.
"There was a time when [her partner] was in jail and I was getting abused and my house was getting robbed."
Tenants in a state housing development at Weir Lane, Silverdale have requested transfers due to alleged violence and intimidation from a Mongrel Mob neighbour. Photo / Google
The woman said she was in tears this week after reading the Herald article.
While her partner was part of the Mongrel Mob, he was not patched, she said.
"He doesn't bring it home. He just wears red."
The family had been requesting a relocation from Kāinga Ora for "a long time".
She claimed the transfer request had come to nothing until this week when Kāinga Ora staff suddenly offered to relocate the family to a new state home "after the New Zealand Herald article".
They did not know where they were being relocated or when, but said news of the imminent move was a huge relief.
"They've told me it will be put through as urgent. I think it will be a good fresh start."
The man - who is currently doing landscaping work with his father - said he hoped to be given a standalone house "so the neighbours aren't so close".
He liked living near the beach "because there's kai" but was happy to go anywhere.
Kāinga's regional director North & West Auckland Taina Jones said the family had requested a transfer some time ago, but key information about the kind of home they needed was not able to be confirmed until recently.
"As such, we're now in a position to offer an alternative home to these customers that will meet their immediate needs."
The agency said last week it took the neighbours' claims extremely seriously and was working to resolve issues at the Weir Lane complex - particularly around increasing the safety of children, including fencing, gates and security cameras.
Kāinga Ora had recently introduced new measures to address the most severe and persistent disruptive behaviour. This included more engagement with challenging customers, support from specialist agencies and using the Residential Tenancies Act to relocate the most antisocial clients.
