Gangs come together for Royal Commission Abuse in Care hui
Monday, 20 February 2023
They sit on opposite sides of fractured battle lines. Their patches mark territories and loyalties.
But on an overcast Monday in Manukau, they were people – brothers even – sharing stories of childhoods in state care with the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry.
It was an historic occasion for many in the room, including one senior King Cobra member who spent the bulk of his teenage years in boys homes throughout Aotearoa.
'They were definitely violent. A lot of mental abuse as well. There was violence every day, whether it was between the youth in the place or the youth and the staff.”
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Finding the King Cobras meant finding a new aiga (family). They taught him about life, love and boundaries.
The inter-gang hui led by Hikoi Nation offered opportunities for change, so life for children in Aotearoa might go differently, he said.
'Hopefully towards a brighter future. Better places, that's all we want. Better places for our children and their children, so we can all move forward together in unity.'
Waikato Mongrel Mob Kingdom president Sonny Fatupaito said the hui had been years, even decades, in the making.
However, he admitted there would be members likely feeling shell shocked by the event and the kōrero being shared.
'You're looking at vulnerability. Being gangsters and all that, you've suppressed it. You've taken on a persona to hide the scars.
“Now it's coming to the point where you don't have to hide those scars.'
Fatupaito said it was time people came together regardless of the colours they wore, so they were able to heal and achieve their own personal greatness.
“It’s about allowing our brothers and sisters, once they find their healing, to make better decisions and choices, so they can find their place in the world.
“But it also shows society as well that, whether they like it or not, we need to normalise the gang community as part of the fabric of Aotearoa instead of ostracising us to the side…”
Shane White (Tainui) has never been in a gang, but spent time in Paremoremo Prison after receiving a life sentence.
He said the Government had treated Māori and iwi as gangs long before they were ever invented.
“We were brutalised and laws were made against us. It sets the scene, that connection between boys homes and gangs,” said White.
They also offered a sense of protection, which is something many of the boys lacked when they were taken from their whānau and placed in residential care, he said.
“There was this protective factor where the gangs wouldn’t listen to the Government and would actually fight for you and provide something more that families couldn’t because they were just struggling to make ends meet.”
For Kuki Squad member RJ Tekii (Ngāpuhi), the hui was a chance to offer support to anyone affected by abuse in care, regardless of their affiliation.
“They weren’t our babies, because they were 1950 to 1999, but they’re still someone's babies…” he said.
“What better way to stand in unity for things like this. It’s a beautiful thing to see all the brothers coming together.”
Royal Commission chairperson Judge Coral Shaw said the hui reinforced the idea of a trajectory from state care to gangs.
Throughout the hearings, Shaw said many of those abused in care had spoken about being ripped away from their families, iwi and cultural roots.
'They so often have said to us, we went to the gangs because that was our whānau. We've heard that story over and over again…'
Shaw acknowledged the tremendous bravery of those sharing their kōrero and said it took enormous courage to come forward.
By the end of the day, more than two dozen gang whānau registered with the Royal Commission.