‘Sick joke’: Nats call out Greens over willingness to fund Mob's drug schemes

Greens’ co-leader Marama Davidson says her party is open to funding the Mongrel Mob to deliver drug prevention programmes.

It’s being called a “sick joke” by National’s Paul Goldsmith, as well as a “slap in the face for all families in New Zealand struggling with meth addictions”.

Meanwhile, Labour’s Chris Hipkins has ruled out the Greens holding the police and corrections ministerial portfolios in a future Government after photos showing Green and Te Pāti Māori members posing with members of the Mongrel Mob.

“It was really, really ill-considered. I think they made a real error of judgment here,” he said on Thursday. “The gangs are perpetrators of misery. Political leaders shouldn’t be cosying up to gangs.”

The Labour leader said if one of his MPs took photos with gang members, they wouldn’t be a member of his Cabinet.

The Greens have said MP Hūhana Lyndon was there in her capacity as health spokeswoman “on the basis that those who are in gangs also need access to healthcare”.

Davidson, whose party would be needed by Labour to form a future Government, told the Herald she would continue to attend such events in the future. She famously went to a mob gathering in 2021, calling it a “fabulous community event for justice”.

MPs from the Green Party and Te Pāti Māori with members of the Mongrel Mob.

Asked if the Greens were willing to give money to the Mongrel Mob or its affiliates to help people with methamphetamine addiction, Davidson said, “we are an evidence-based party”.

“We absolutely need to support and fund the programmes that work... we will fund what works to minimise the harm of meth, to prevent violence and crime.”

Pushed by the Herald on whether that meant she was open to giving money to the Mongrel Mob, the Greens’ co-leader said: “We are open to funding what works, absolutely.

“I understand that there may be some people watching this, who are thinking to themselves, what are the Greens doing?

“I’m going to answer that: w know that we have to engage and create an Aotearoa that works for all of us. The Greens’ funding and priority of our energy goes into prevention. We want to prevent violence. We want to prevent crime.

“This old sort of way of trying to push people under the carpet, it doesn’t work. It never has. The community initiatives know what works. They have got the receipts already. We will support more of that work.”

Goldsmith, National’s justice spokesman, told the Herald the Greens’ willingness to fund Mongrel Mob meth programmes was a “sick joke” and “a slap in the face for all the families in New Zealand struggling with meth addictions”.

“Yet again, this shows a Labour-Greens-Te Pāti Māori coalition would undermine everything National has done in law and order. They’d take New Zealand backwards, rapidly.”

National's Paul Goldsmith says the Greens' willingness to support Mongrel Mob meth programmes is a 'sick joke'. Photo / Getty Images

Act’s deputy Nicole McKee suggested the Greens were keen on replicating the funding given to a Mongrel Mob-related drug programme under the last Government.

“There’s a world of difference between helping people beat addiction and handing taxpayer money to organisations run by gang figures,” she said.

“New Zealand has plenty of dedicated frontline providers doing the hard work of rehabilitation without a gang patch on their back.

“Anyone who thinks being soft on criminals will make them soft on us has forgotten six years of Labour.”

In 2021, $2.75 million allocated from the Proceeds of Crime Fund towards a Mongrel Mob-led meth rehabilitation programme became the focus of national headlines. The programme was developed by lifetime Mongrel Mob member Harry Tam, who shared images with Lyndon and Te Pāti Māori MPs this week.

Davidson said the Greens oppose the harm of drugs.

“We know that investing in the community-led initiatives are what works, whereas this Government has actually cancelled funding to the very community-led initiatives that prevent crime and violence.”

Asked about Hipkins ruling the Greens out of police and corrections portfolios, Davidson said New Zealanders don’t want politicians to be talking about each other and ruling things out.

“They want to hear what our solutions are, which the Greens remain focused on because we can show that we can bring down people’s power bills and food bills and transport bills and those are the solutions that people want to see from politicians, instead of bickering against each other.”

Davidson echoed comments she made yesterday, saying it was “not a new thing” for the Greens to meet with “people on the ground, especially those pushed into the margins”.

Hipkins on Thursday morning was critical of the Greens’ engagement with the gang.

“There’s nothing wrong with meeting with gangs, but going out there and celebrating with gangs in the way that we saw over the last 24 hours is just completely unacceptable.

“Gangs peddle misery. They are the perpetrators of a huge amount of violence in our communities. There are a lot of women around the country who are subjected to violence by gang members. They sell drugs into our communities that cause enormous harm.”

He said there was an “incompatibility” between Labour and the Greens “in the way we approach these issues”.

“I want to make sure that whoever the Minister of Police is in the next Government is going to be giving the police all the backing they deserve, including the backing they deserve to tackle gangs. I don’t see a role for gangs in our communities.”

Jamie Ensor is the NZ Herald’s chief political reporter, based in the press gallery at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the Newshub press gallery office. He was a finalist in 2025 for Political Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards.