The tension between law enforcement and Māori communities came to a head last week at a gang tangi in Matapihi, sparking questions about respect, overreach and trust, writes Liam Rātana.

Last Thursday, a video went viral of a kuia scolding a large number of armed police officers as they manned a checkpoint outside Otūmoko Urupā, near the small, predominantly Māori settlement of Matapihi in Tauranga. The officers were monitoring the tangi of senior Mongrel Mob leader Wayne George Kelly, also known as Ned, and his wife. 

Just days earlier, the controversial gang patch ban came into effect under the Gangs Act 2024. The tangi of a prominent gang leader, where a significant number of gang members were likely to be in attendance, was a prime media opportunity for the New Zealand Police to show just how committed they are to enforcing the patch ban. The ensuing effort resulted in a significant police operation being carried out – complete with paddy wagons, dozens of armed officers, and even the Eagle police helicopter.

“Burnouts in the street, wearing patches, intimidating good community members will not be tolerated and today was an example of that,” the Bay of Plenty district commander, superintendent Tim Anderson, told Stuff.

I don’t deny that gang members, especially in large numbers, can be an intimidating sight for some. Sure, burnouts can be frustrating and scary at times. But for me, as a Māori man, a large number of police officers wielding high-calibre weapons is also pretty intimidating. We don’t have to look far overseas, or even far back into our country’s history, to find instances of trigger-happy police officers. It might be almost two decades since the Tūhoe raids, but the memory of Operation Eight and its excessive use of force still lives on in many Māori communities.

“We have armed officers obstructing access to private property and even urupā where loved ones are buried. This is a disgusting over-reach,” Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi said in a press release.

The reaction of Ngareta Timutimu (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui), the kuia who felt compelled to voice her frustration about the large police presence in her small community, was an articulation of how many Māori in such a situation would likely feel. Gang member or not, the right to grieve the loss of a human life without unnecessary harassment should be respected. Asking people for their licences, searching their vehicles and arresting them for what they are wearing while they are arriving at an urupā to bury a loved one is surely not showing respect to people in mourning.

“I think the average Kiwi would expect that their police would enforce the law regardless of what it is, without fear or favour, and that’s exactly what we’re doing,” Anderson said.

I agree with the district commander on this. However, exactly how the law should be enforced is up for debate. A recently released report titled He Kitenga Nō Te Whare (Insights from the Whare), part of the Understanding Policing Delivery research programme, found that New Zealand Police was failing to ensure recruits leaving police college had an understanding of the organisation’s Te Huringa o Te Tai strategy, under which Māori should be  treated with respect, fairness and cultural understanding when interacting with police. Showing up to a tangi with big guns and setting up a checkpoint outside an urupā doesn’t really seem to be a good way to show “respect, fairness and cultural understanding” to Māori.

While police minister Mark Mitchell said last Thursday’s exercise was an example of “successful policing” of a gang tangi, I would argue it was an example of the actions of the New Zealand police having the opposite effect of what was intended. I believe that for many Māori, their actions have further eroded our levels of trust and confidence in the organisation, straining an already fraught relationship.

The He Kitenga Nō Te Whare report made a number of recommendations, including the need for increased whanaungatanga with communities:: “Historical events, such as the Dawn Raids and Operation Eight, have negatively impacted on community trust in Police for Māori and Pasifika communities. Rebuilding this trust requires a focus on whanaungatanga and engaging with communities and iwi/hapū in a respectful and collaborative manner.”

Perhaps the new police commissioner and his district commanders could benefit from reading the report and undertaking a refresher on their own internal strategies, such as Te Huringa o Te Tai. Maybe then we would see the police more carefully considering how they approach similar scenarios in the future, instead of taking a heavy-handed approach that feels like it serves little purpose other than to make headlines.