Originally formed in the 1950s by a group of rowdy and unruly Pakeha men, the group has now become a conglomerate presence in New Zealand, made up of over 30 hapus (divisions of Maori people) and iwi (tribal families).
The beginnings of this new tribal order in New Zealand purportedly commenced following a court hearing, where a district judge in the Hawkes Bay (a region on East Coast of the North Island) slandered a collection of convicted men as ‘Mongrels.’ This word was one that I came to understand as meaning unkempt, scruffy or brash while travelling in New Zealand, but with experience I progressed to discern the word as pertaining to a very specific group of people.
The Mongrel Mob is an organised street, motorbike and ethnic gang that fits its own moniker. There are individuals of many different faiths, nationalities and backgrounds in the organisation; so much so, that the mixed-breed definition of ‘Mongrel’ is very intrinsic to who this group are collectively.
Mongrel Mob Kingdom members attend a Tangi (funeral) deep in the bush of the north island.
My first experience with the Mob was in Queenstown, September 2018, when I approached a group of people that most New Zealanders would normally not make eye contact with. I asked a group of heavily tattooed and colour-coded men, as they waltzed proudly out of a Louis Vuitton store on Queenstown Lakefront, if they wanted some pictures taken of them next to Lake Wakatipu. They wore tight leather vests with emblems and symbols on the front, with the image of a barking dog on their backs. The importance of the patch was something I would later come to understand. They replied in the suspicious affirmative and enquired if I was a police officer, what my game was and one of them even asked if I was wearing a wire.
After initial nervous discourse, I started taking pictures of their group and then sent the images to them via Facebook, to the president of their chapter. A week later, I had been invited to Hastings for a Fatherland chapter anniversary and a Redcoats chapter patching. This was a big deal. Upon invitation, the president even typed “Bro, I’m gonna give you the chance of a lifetime.” A matter of days later, I found myself waiting on an insipidly grey street corner in Invercargill on a rainy afternoon, jittered as a white rental van full of gang members hurtled around the corner and pulled up in front of me. The window rolled down slowly as bassy gang music rumbled from the vehicle’s speakers and smoke billowed from the crack of the window that wound down. A patched Mobster inquisitively asked “Are you George?”
That was the start of my journey with the largest street gang in Aotearoa, New Zealand.
Sonny Fatupaito leads a Kyokushin class in Hamilton.
Kazdog, Ngaa Whanaau O Maangaru (which means ‘Mongrel Mob’ in Te Reo – the Maori language). This branch/chapter is an extension of Mongrel Mob Waikato; with over 400 members, it is the largest chapter in the country.
Members and family of the Waikato Mongrel Mob give a Haka outside Jamia Masjid (mosque) on the 22nd of March in Hamilton in commemorative respect for the victims of the Christchurch mosque terror attack, which happened a week prior. The pain following the attack was incredibly tangible across New Zealand and the event evoked an unprecedented reaction from the gangs – they publicly gathered to support the muslim community. A mutual understanding of identity was created between the ethnic minority groups (gangs and muslims) during this time.
Subsequent to what seemed like an almost fated interaction with the Fatherland/Redcoats/Hastings chapters, my connection with the Mob faded somewhat, as I resumed travelling and the pursuit of the bountiful natural pleasures that New Zealand inherently offers. But an intrigue remained inside of me. I wanted to really dig what was beyond and beneath the gorgeous mountain ranges and lake vistas that this country is prefaced with.
How could one group unified by various lateral and ‘front-on’ depictions of snarling bulldogs wearing krautlids, accompanied by nazi symbology, command such fear, petrification and respect across a whole country? It seemed that a more insidious and darker facet to the jewel that New Zealand was coming into view from my perspective. I came to understand the public relationship with the gang as a synthesis of ignorance, hatred and hyperbole but also of reverence.
A Waikato Mongrel Mob member’s daughter’s hand falls gently on gang tattoos. For me, this picture displays the contrast between the staunchness of gang members and the innocence of their families. The strong relationship dynamic between the gang and ‘Whanau’ (family) is what defines the Mob in modern times, but in the 70s it would have been seen as weak for a Mobster to pick their children up (as stated by Roy Dunn, a captain of the Notorious Mongrel Mob chapter who passed away in April 2016).
“It used to be just getting on the piss, heaps of drugs and the block. Now we need to prepare the next generation, aye, so they can have clean passports, and a better future.”
Ramdog Mongrel Mob Wairoa shows me his back patch tattoo, an ultimate display of commitment and loyalty to the gang. Each chapter of the gang has a different symbolic Bulldog, which distinguishes them from each other.
All Photographs Copyright © George Goss Photography