Te Hunga Roia Māori – the Māori Law Society – says a proposed law cracking down on gangs is populist and punitive – and it will achieve little.
Parliament’s justice committee is hearing submissions on the Gangs Legislation Amendment Bill – which will ban gang patches and identifiable clothing in public, as well as gatherings between known gang members.
Echo Haronga, the chair of the society’s criminal law reform committee, says it will lead to more criminalisation of Māori.
“We’re talking about criminal justice, and handing over to the police more broad-sweeping powers – which means inevitably police are going to be able to target and arrest mostly-Māori for these things that have never been crimes before – such as wearing a tee-shirt or maybe breaching a non-consorting order,” she says.
Te Hunga Roia Māori would welcome a Waitangi Tribunal enquiry, because the Bill breaches Tiriti o Waitangi principles.
- Waatea News