Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has defended Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka after a photograph emerged showing the National Party MP posing alongside Mongrel Mob members, just a day after Labour candidate Kerrin Leoni resigned over her own involvement in gang-related election campaigning.
The photograph has added another dimension to the growing political controversy surrounding politicians and gangs, raising questions about consistency, political judgement and where the boundaries should be drawn between community engagement and election campaigning.
Luxon maintains there is a significant difference between Potaka being photographed with gang members at a public event and opposition politicians actively seeking electoral support at gang-related gatherings.
Potaka Photo Emerges Amid Political Fallout
The photograph, which has circulated online, shows Potaka standing alongside men wearing Mongrel Mob patches.
Potaka has explained that the picture was taken at a Hui ā-Motu organised by the late Māori King Tūheitia in January 2024.
He says one of the men was a former schoolmate who had approached him for a photograph.
The Minister maintains the encounter occurred at a public gathering, well before the current election campaign, and was not connected to fundraising or seeking votes.
Luxon, questioned by reporters on Saturday, October 24, defended his minister and rejected suggestions that the photograph was equivalent to those involving Labour, Green and Te Pāti Māori politicians.
He argued that Potaka was not campaigning, raising money or encouraging gang members to support National.
However, Luxon acknowledged that he had not personally spoken to Potaka about the circumstances surrounding the photograph when questioned.
Police Minister Says Circumstances Are Different
Police Minister Mark Mitchell also defended Potaka, saying he had spoken to the Minister about the image.
Mitchell argued that politicians frequently encounter people from different backgrounds at public events and cannot necessarily control who approaches them for photographs.
He suggested Potaka may have agreed to the picture out of respect and to avoid creating an uncomfortable situation.
The Police Minister maintained that there was a fundamental distinction between attending a public Kīngitanga event and deliberately visiting a gang gathering to campaign for political support.
National has continued to emphasise its tough-on-gangs policies, including restrictions on gang patches and measures targeting organised criminal activity.
Leoni Resignation Fuels Questions About Consistency
The emergence of Potaka’s photograph follows the resignation of Labour’s Tāmaki Makaurau candidate Kerrin Leoni on Friday.
Leoni stepped down after footage emerged showing her wearing Labour-branded clothing and encouraging people to enrol and vote at a gathering attended by Mongrel Mob members.
Leoni maintained the event was a whānau gathering involving relatives, children, kaumātua, gang members and people without gang affiliations.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins initially accepted her explanation but subsequently concluded that the footage was inconsistent with the standards expected of Labour candidates.
The controversy had already intensified after Green and Te Pāti Māori politicians attended an election hui at a Mongrel Mob property earlier this month.
Hipkins strongly criticised that visit, while National accused opposition parties of displaying poor judgement in their engagement with gang members.
Now, with a National minister appearing in a photograph alongside gang members, the political debate has shifted towards whether the same standards are being applied consistently across Parliament.
Whakapapa, Whānau and Political Responsibility
For Māori communities, the controversy also raises questions about the relationship between whakapapa, community obligations and political responsibility.
Te Pāti Māori representatives have argued that gang members remain part of whānau and communities, and that political leaders should not automatically abandon those relationships because of gang affiliations.
Critics of political engagement with gangs, however, argue that public appearances alongside patched members can risk normalising organisations associated with violence, drug offending and intimidation.
The distinction between engaging with individuals, acknowledging whānau connections and actively campaigning for political support has become central to the dispute.
Potaka’s explanation places his photograph in the context of a public Kīngitanga gathering rather than an election event.
That is a material difference from footage of Leoni campaigning in party clothing, although questions about the consistency of political standards remain part of the wider debate.
Gang Politics Dominates Final Weeks of Campaign
The controversy comes as political parties enter the final fortnight before the November 7 general election.
With advance voting beginning on Monday, October 26, gang-related campaigning has become a prominent issue, competing for attention with the cost of living, healthcare, housing and the economy.
For National, the challenge is to explain why Potaka’s photograph should be viewed differently from those involving opposition politicians.
For Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori, the debate has raised questions about political engagement, candidate conduct and the responsibilities of elected representatives.
The central question is whether politicians should be judged simply for appearing alongside gang members, or whether the purpose, location and circumstances of each encounter should determine what is acceptable.
As the election approaches, that distinction is likely to remain a significant part of the political debate.
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