Ross Jami-Lee: Prohibition of Gang Insignia in Government Premises Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Ross Jami-Lee: Prohibition of Gang Insignia in Government Premises Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 29 August 2012. Volume:683;Page:4881. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
JAMI-LEE ROSS (National—Botany) 
: 
 When I took the call before we ended debating a couple of weeks ago I stood up and said that gangs were cancerous corrosive and had absolutely no place in New Zealand society. I absolutely stand by that point of view. I congratulate Todd McClay on bringing this bill the Prohibition of Gang Insignia in Government Premises Bill to the House and I congratulate those members who are prepared to support it. I am very disappointed that there are some parties in this House that have seen fit to become almost apologists for gangs that have seen fit to reject this piece of legislation and that have seen fit to stand by gangs and say that it is OK for them to wear gang insignia in public places and Government buildings and to intimidate members of the public which is exactly what this piece of legislation is aiming to stop. 
I congratulate those parties that are supporting it. I congratulate New Zealand First on its stand in this House on saying that it is not good enough for gangs to be wearing their gang patches in Government buildings and it is not good enough for gangs to be intimidating members of the public. Gangs stand for crime. Gangs stand for all things that are bad about the underworld in this country. I think any moves that this Parliament can make to try to stop gangs from having a prevalent place in New Zealand society should be welcomed should be accepted and should be supported in this Parliament. 
Finally before I finish my 4 minutes I just want to say that I absolutely reject some of the comments that have been made in the media recently by a member of this House Hone Harawira. Mr Harawira has seen fit to attack Todd McClay on the basis of the colour of his hair and the colour of his eyes. That is absolutely outrageous. To say that attacking gangs that bringing a piece of legislation to this House that aims to stop gang intimidation is wrong and to say it is a racist piece of legislation is absolutely wrong despicable and should not be accepted by anyone in this country. 
Todd McClay is doing New Zealanders a favour. Todd McClay is standing in this House bringing in a piece of legislation to try to make New Zealand safer to try to make Government buildings and local government buildings safer and to say to New Zealanders that gangs have no place in this country. It is uncool it is wrong and we should not have a situation where gangs can wear their insignia can wear their gang patches in public buildings. The gang patch itself is what the gangs love to show. It is the gang patch itself that shows solidarity amongst the gang members. We do not want criminals to be showing solidarity out there in the community. We do not want criminals to be coming into public buildings public libraries public swimming pools or anything like that to show off their colours to show off their supposed manliness because they think it is cool to be gang members and to be wearing their patches and their colours. 
This is a very good piece of legislation. I absolutely congratulate the parties in this House that are prepared to stand up and say that gangs have no place in this society and we do not want them in our public buildings and we do not want them in our local government buildings. This House should be supporting moves to restrict gangs and the wearing of their patches. I say this bill is absolutely overdue is necessary and should be supported by the whole House.