Borrows Chester: Wanganui District Council (Prohibition of Gang Insignia) Bill — First Reading 
Borrows Chester: Wanganui District Council (Prohibition of Gang Insignia) Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:646;Page:15755] 
CHESTER BORROWS (National—Whanganui) 
: 
 I well recall a conversation that started very heatedly with a senior member of the Mongrel Mob at a national conference. When we were discussing the Wanganui District Council (Prohibition of Gang Insignia) Bill it was pointed out by me that it sought to decrease intimidation and the likelihood of violence by creating what is known as neutral turf as we have done in hotels courts police stations hospitals and other Government buildings. That gang member quickly agreed that the bill would be a deterrent to violence and would be of benefit to senior gang members who have stated publicly their desire to lessen gang violence. I spoke to him a few minutes ago and he refused to comment further and refused to confirm what the stance of the organisation is now. I note that he could not speak on behalf of the Mongrel Mob until the national hui and he refuses now to say exactly what that position is. 
The sight of fully patched gang members in full regalia yet protesting a desire to turn kids away from criminal offending has no integrity to my mind. We have heard the most unusual comments this week from the Maori Party. Those comments suggest that gangs are the solution to youth gang crime and that members of the public should not be intimidated by patched gang members. 
Although I esteem Dr Pita Sharples highly I believe that his view in this matter is skewed. I guess it is the kaupapa of the grandfather of the nation to be generous and forgiving to his mokopuna but that view defies logic. Gang members have raped murdered beaten and stolen in gang regalia with no hesitation and they have shown no remorse. When gang members express regret for offending it is always because they were apprehended or because of the effect the offending has had on their own families. There is never regret about the impact on the victims. They regret time in jail and wasted opportunities but never the damage they have done to others. In fact the opposite is true. It is their behaviour—giving the television camera the fingers sneering swearing and barking—and their offending that has instilled reasonable fear in the minds of average Kiwis and to deny that these fears are reasonable shows a lack of acknowledgment of the legitimacy of those fears. Time and time again we seek to encourage communities to take responsibility for offending by their community members. 
The Wanganui District Council has led a response to a situation that exists in many provincial cities around the country. This bill came about part-way through an 18-month campaign of gang violence involving stabbings beatings drive-by shootings and attacks in the streets and suburbs and the CBD of Wanganui. People were intimidated by the sight of gang members who were patched and in close proximity. To minimise this quite reasonable response to 18 months of violence which culminated in the death of an innocent 2-year-old and to try to segregate responsibility or sectionalise the right to intervene is not a helpful stance in dealing with what is a generic gang problem. Gangs and gang offending is not a Maori problem. It is not a Pacific Island problem. It is not an Asian or Pakeha problem. It is a problem for all New Zealanders and in Wanganui we do not resile from our responsibilities. 
There are some problems with this bill. There is a wide interpretation of the term “gang insignia” which could include tattoos for instance and this should be sorted out at the Law and Order Committee. But this bill should not be prevented from proceeding to that end. I commend the bill to the House and I look forward to full support from responsible members of Parliament in moving this bill through to the select committee.