And a 3-year-old’s Ōpōtiki home has allegedly been raided four times by police in 10 months, as whānau speak of the long-term effects these armed raids have on tamariki and mokopuna.
“My daughter-in-law and I were subjected to invasive strip searches, an experience that left me feeling violated and humiliated,” one kuia said.
“The decision to search only the two of us in this manner was unexplained and deeply troubling.
“I was told to undress down to my undies, even had to lift my bra. I still cannot fully comprehend why this had to happen and the purpose of only searching her and I in this manner.”
Police raided homes across the North Island including 15 in Ōpōtiki on October 22. Twenty-two people out of the 28 charged are known to be from Ōpōtiki, who face a variety of charges including possession of methamphetamine for supply and participating in an organised criminal group. Three people have name suppression.
Police Minister Mark Mitchell has questioned the accuracy of many of the “anecdotal” accounts of the raids.
“The people of Ōpōtiki feel like they’ve got some breathing space now and a chance to reset,” Mitchell told Newstalk ZB.
“I’m very proud of the work that has been done. There’s been a lot of emotive language and accusations made out there, none of it verified.”
A Police spokesperson said they were acutely aware that there were children at some addresses.
“An officer was specifically focussed on what support was needed for those impacted by the arrests.
”The tamariki present when warrants were executed were quickly identified and most taken in by whānau.
”At one address where both parents were being arrested, we were very mindful that two children would need alternative care. While whānau members were identified and contacted, the children’s father placed them in the back of a police vehicle to stay warm and safe while they waited.
”At no point were any children left unattended for any period of time alone at a property.”
But many accounts of the Ōpōtiki raids claim there has been lingering distress among children and households.
“Approximately 2-3 metres away was a policeman holding a gun and it was like I saw my life flashing by knowing that a little error could’ve been fatal,” one witness said.
Another mother said: “My children have been having nightmares ... things around my household [have] taken a huge toll.”
Such accounts of the Ōpōtiki raids have been recounted to community group Toitū Te Mana Mokopuna. This group was established after the raids to support tamariki and mokopuna (children and grandchildren).
The group says the harm caused to vulnerable tamariki, mokopuna, kuia (female elders) and whānau during the raids against Mongrel Mob East Bay Barbarians is now coming to light.
“Our children and mokopuna will have long-lasting effects from raids on their homes,” Toitū spokesperson Jodi Porter said.
“That’s how it becomes intergenerational – for many moko, their first dealings with police are armed raids and that will leave long-lasting impressions and trauma for our moko.
“One moko’s home has been raided four times in 10 months. How do you think her view of police is going to be shaped?”
A Mongrel Mob funeral procession last month.
Police previously said local iwi leaders congratulated them for cracking down on the drugs in Ōpōtiki.
“Iwi leadership across Whakatohea have previously told us that they are very appreciative of this recent operation, in which police have prevented the extremely harmful supply of methamphetamine into Ōpōtiki from these alleged offenders, therefore ensuring the health and wellbeing of their mokopuna is improved,” a police spokesperson said.
But after the concerns raised by whānau caught in the raids, there’s been additional communication between police and iwi.
When NZ Police were presented with the allegations of strip searches and children’s houses being raided multiple times in a matter of months, a spokesperson said: “Police met with iwi on Thursday and discussed some of the concerns that had been raised. We have agreed to continue to work together to support the needs of whanau and the wider community.”
The Police Minister was also at that meeting – the second time he had met with local Iwi in the past month – and said the Ōpōtiki community had to step up to stop what was happening in their town.
“I was at the Ōpōtiki just a few days ago, meeting with the Iwi. There was a couple of anecdotal stories that were floating around that related to children that were proved not to be accurate,” Mitchell said.
“From my own experience is that the police are outstanding. They are especially sensitive around dealing with kids.
“A lot of police officers are parents themselves, and, the the police have done an outstanding job.”
Six firearms and 13 Mongrel Mob Barbarian patches were seized across the North Island as part of Operation Highwater.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Labour leader Chris Hipkins also waded into the Ōpōtiki debate.
Speaking at his post-Cabinet press conference, Luxon was asked about reports of a 3-year-old child being put in the back of a police vehicle during a recent gang-linked police raid in Ōpōtiki, while its mother and grandmother were handcuffed by officers.
Luxon said it was “not acceptable” if those reports were accurate but was quick to add the behaviour of gangs was “utterly unacceptable”. Mitchell also said he had not been briefed about the toddler being put by herself into the back of a police car.
“Clearly that’s not what we want to see happen and it would be great if the children could be better looked after but the reality is we’re going to be tough on gangs, we are going to harass gangs,” Luxon said.
While he had seen reports of the incident, Luxon said he hadn’t seen “formal confirmation” of the details. He promised his office would investigate further.
Hipkins, also former Prime Minister and Police Minister, said he was “very concerned” about the reports and expected the Government would have been asking questions of police about their execution.
Citing his experience as Police Minister, Hipkins claimed police conducted “very careful planning” whenever an operation concerned children but he believed the Government should have been well aware of the incident.
“If I was the Minister of Police, I would have wanted to know as soon as any evidence of that came to light exactly what had happened,” Hipkins said.
Iwi and community leader Kylie Poihipi said they are not defending those arrested but questioned the gung-ho attitude of police when dealing with Māori whānau.
“The home is the one place tamariki should be able to feel safe,” Poihipi said.
Kylie Poihipi.
“Police say they had Mongrel Mob East Bay Barbarians under surveillance for 10 months, therefore they would have known that tamariki live in the homes they raided. A harm and prevention focus should have been applied and these mokopuna should have been made visible. The raids should not be held up as a trophy victory of police when it is seen by iwi and the community as a complete failure of the Crown to recognise the rights of mokopuna.”
Here are some experiences from whānau caught in the raids:
‘My daughter-in-law and I were subjected to invasive strip searches’: Kuia, 45
“All our whānau were present during the raid. Being woken up by strangers forcing everyone out of bed was very distressing for our tamariki. Our whānau experienced a range of emotions – fear, confusion, and frustration – as events unfolded rapidly and without clarity. My daughter-in-law and I were subjected to invasive strip searches, an experience that left me feeling violated and humiliated. The decision to search only the two of us in this manner was unexplained and deeply troubling. I was told to undress down to my undies, even had to lift my bra. I still cannot fully comprehend why this had to happen and the purpose of only searching her and I in this manner. When it was over we were left to navigate the aftermath.
“My mokopuna was affected, asking why these people came into our home and left it in a mess and took away his brother. He was unable to comprehend why strangers treated our whānau with such disregard. My baby mokopuna, usually calm, has since been unsettled, a reflection of the distress she witnessed in her mother’s arms. Arriving at the courthouse later that day, our whānau encountered more confusion and isolation. No one provided us with information or support, and we felt lost in a system that seemed indifferent to the impact of its actions. This lack of guidance only intensified our helplessness, as the legal process stretched out with little clarity. Since that morning, our whānau has been left with a dreading sense of unease, enduring a continuous state of anxiety. Our home, once a place of safety, feels haunted by memories of the raid. I am burdened not only with the emotional toll but also with the financial strain of legal fees as I too face charges that threaten to dismantle my career, a path I have dedicated two decades to building. This experience has left us with an overwhelming sense of mamae [hurt] and betrayal. Our privacy, dignity, and mana [have been] stripped, leaving us questioning the very systems meant to protect and uplift us.”
Opotiki.
‘I saw my life flashing by’: Kuia, 66
“The whānau was deeply affected when the police stormed upon the premises and all you could see was a flood of police armed with guns inside and outside of the premises and commotion everywhere causing trauma, especially toward myself, a kaumātua, my two grandchildren, daughter and the father of my grandchildren. The most frightening experience was when I was going back into my cabin I saw the police everywhere so I grabbed my phone to video them only to have the police on my left take the phone off me and he was telling me to leave the premises and go towards the gate and out and on my right about approximately 2-3 meters away was a policeman holding a gun and it was like I saw my life flashing by, knowing that a little error could have been fatal. I am not on any medication, but after this traumatic experience I find myself having to take it easy with my breathing and anxiety level. It’s not something that you can go to the doctor and you are better, it’s the aftermath as a direct result of trauma and treatment of the police. We were taken away and the children’s mother asked about her children because they were still at the house, only to hear the response from the police that ‘Oranga Tamariki would come’. My concern is that this type of trauma imposed on tamariki has serious emotional, physical, well-being, and spiritual trauma for a lifetime. Thank goodness we managed to get support from whānau to care for the mokopuna and to clean up the mess the police left behind.”
‘My children have been having nightmares’: Mother
“I was woken up at 6am on Tuesday the 22nd October to the police at the door of my room instructing me to wake up and go into the sitting room. I was asked who else was in the house and I replied, ‘my kids’. They instructed me to wake all my children up and drag them out of bed into the sitting room to get an understanding of what was happening. After I established it had nothing to do with me, I asked if I was able to get my children ready for school. They agreed then took my brother and his partner. They searched the home and ransacked it leaving me to clean all day even though I had just organised my house. They found nothing. Absolutely nothing. Since then my children have been having nightmares. They are constantly asking about where their uncle is and things around my household [have] taken a huge toll. My brother was helping me pay for my rent and to make things a bit easier for me as I am single mother on a mental health healing journey. I have become increasingly anxious and on edge because half the town saw my family being ushered out of the house by heaps of police. My rental home was compromised and threatened because my landlord does not want anything going on at the address. My bills are piling up as I have been struggling to make ends meet since my brother’s arrest. My kids have been getting teased at school for having police officers at their house, which has made them afraid to go to school any more. Things have taken a huge blow to my household lately and to us as a whānau.”
Additional reporting NZ Herald political reporter Adam Pearse and Newstalk ZB.
