Podcasts Other The Mike Hosking Breakfast Pollies: Insistence from Megan Woods that gang tensions in Opotiki are a police issue, not a political one

Pollies: Insistence from Megan Woods that gang tensions in Opotiki are a police issue, not a political one

Published: June 13, 2023, 9:23 p.m.

Ongoing insistence from the Government, that gang tensions in \u014cp\u014dtiki are a police issue, not a political one.

Schools and public facilities in the eastern Bay of Plenty town remain closed today due to safety concerns, ahead of today's tangi for gang boss Steven Taiatini.

Hundreds of gang members are already in the town, with more expected to arrive in a procession from Whakat\u0101ne this morning.

Cabinet Minister Megan Woods told Mike Hosking on Politics Wednesday she feels sorry for everyone involved, but the Government has resourced Police to respond appropriately.

Recounting his time as an officer stationed in Gisborne and often called to \u014cp\u014dtiki, National MP Mark Mitchell said when they pulled up with vans and dogs, gang members would go away at the sight of them.

\u201cWe need to return that way. We need police out there,\u201d he said.

About 100 extra police have been stationed to the area to monitor the increased gang presence, as investigations continue into Taiatini's death.

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