March 15, 2022
Tribesmen challenge one for tribes
Former New Zealand First MP Shane Jones wants to see Māori leadership step up and tackle gang recruitment.
He says an incident where members of the Tribesmen gang attacked someone on the Waikato Expressway should be a wake-up call.
He says gangs have become increasingly sophisticated and are luring in rangatahi with shows of bling, at a time of economic uncertainty for many.
“We’ve got to have a focus on our young people continuing to be in the workforce, continuing to be trained, or we run the risk of losing another generation or significant elements of a generation as happened after Rogernomics,” Mr Jones says.
He says excessive gang violence will spark a reaction that will disproportionately affect rangatahi Māori.