Hastings Mongrel Mob President Rex Timu has filed a Waitangi Tribunal claim on behalf of his chapter calling the New Zealand Health system racist.
Timu says the Crown has failed to provide care and rehabilitation for Māori nationwide including Mongrel Mob members and says that the Crown is not doing enough to reduce methamphetamine use.
“What we’re asking for is help. Not so much of a handout but hand up, we just like any other kiwis that are out there, we got families, we got dreams and aspirations amongst ourselves.”
“Even though we wear different clothes, we do our own thing we are still part of this community,” says Timu.
The 50-year-old has been the president of his chapter for more than a decade and has banned the drug P from within his ranks.
He says at the time there was a lot of backlashes because it was “a big money maker” and he admits there was a lot the drug coming through his ranks.
But since then he says he has been able to reduce methamphetamine use amongst his members from 80 percent down to 10 per cent.
“I know who they are, I monitor them away from the family and I monitor them to see how they’re getting on.”
“Hopefully eventually they do come off it but they still need that help and for me to help them more resources are needed.”
When asked on Native Affairs why the government should give funding to gangs Timu replied with “they won’t be giving it to us directly maybe indirectly through organisations like the New Zealand Drug Foundation, the Salvation Army who are already set up.”
Lawyer David Stone says the claim is unique and is the first of its kind to come out and blatantly call the New Zealand Crown racist.
“We want the Crown to realise that it’s made mistakes and we want the Crown to say OK what have we been doing in terms of the current methamphetamine plan, it isn’t working and it hasn’t been working the statistics show that it hasn’t been working.”