Rotorua Filthy Few gang member Tamatoa Tanga hands in his gang patch

Tamatoa Tanga appears in the Rotorua District Court for sentencing. Photo / Kelly Makiha

After Tamatoa Tanga was caught selling ecstasy, the fear of going to jail convinced the 25-year-old to hand in his Filthy Few gang patch so he could live a better life.

Tanga appeared for sentencing in the Rotorua District Court last Wednesday after earlier pleading guilty to 10 charges relating to supplying and possessing ecstasy.

The charges included five counts of dealing, one of possessing the drug for supply, two of possessing firearms, one of possessing ammunition and one of failing to abide by a police order.

The maximum sentence he faced was 14 years in jail but his lawyer, Andy Hill, pressed Judge John Bergseng to sentence Tanga to home detention.

Hill said at “first blush” it looked like a typical gang-related firearms and drugs case. But he explained the guns were given to Tanga when he was a teenager and, while he admitted he did not have a gun licence, he never used the weapons and did not know if they worked.

Hill’s plea for his client to stay out of jail was echoed not only by a public gallery full of family members and supporters but also by police prosecutor Luke Kerr, who confirmed Tanga was no longer a gang member.

“Normally we have someone coming out here with two fists on their face and you see gang members all in the back row and that leads to some scepticism.“

However, Kerr said gang members had confirmed seeing Tanga hand in his patch – a story validated by several police officers.

What Tanga did

Judge Bergseng said Tanga supplied the class B drug MDMA, known as ecstasy, between October 27, 2023, and December 2, 2023, in Rotorua. In total, he dealt about 4 grams.

On December 11, 2023, police searched his house and found 12.85g of ecstasy, two firearms and ammunition. He refused to hand over his phone to police.

He told a pre-sentencing report writer that money motivated him to deal drugs and he struggled to provide for his family lawfully.

Judge Bergseng said Tanga set up his own dealing business with his own “clients”.

Tanga’s history

Tanga had a long-time partner and young daughters, the judge said. He did well academically but drugs and alcohol sidetracked him.

He became a mechanic after leaving school and, at the time of the offending, was a patched member of the Filthy Few.

Tamatoa Tanga appears in the Rotorua District Court for sentencing. Photo / Kelly Makiha

He was previously diagnosed with significant addiction issues but had not used drugs since the age of 18 after a significant health scare.

“You are in a period of sustained avoidance of drug use,” Judge Bergseng said. “That’s not to say you are cured because your addiction is life-long but you are currently not using and haven’t been for some time.”

A letter of support from a Man Up group leader was positive, as was a comprehensive letter Tanga had written, the judge said.

“You have been open and honest. You have said one of the biggest changes you have made was to leave the Filthy Few gang. You had a position of some note within the local chapter.”

He said there was also a letter of support from the Fordlands Community Centre manager that outlined the role Tanga had played over the years, including running rippa rugby for about 80 children.

The sentence

Judge Bergseng gave a starting prison sentence of 36 months but reduced it by 25% for Tanga’s guilty pleas and 20% for other mitigating factors, including his bid to change his life.

With the reductions, the end prison sentence was 20 months, which the judge agreed to make 10 months of home detention.

“The fact you have received a sentence of home detention on this occasion is one I have thought carefully about but I can see it is justified. It is one that is supported by police.”

Tanga is allowed to serve his home detention at his parents’ home in Fordlands and Judge Bergseng said he was grateful for the support the Fordlands community had given Tanga.

“The fact that you have got a number of people who have come from the Fordlands community, which often does not get good publicity, is perhaps a testament to the person that you can be, as opposed to the person you have been.”

The judge said he would like to see Tanga continue with his community-based roles and be a proper father to his children.

“You show them how they can live their life by the way that you live your life from this point on. We all know that children very much learn from their parents and, if you do the right thing moving forward, there is a good chance that you will be able to lead a highly productive life in a difficult community.”

Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.