THE RISE AND DEVELOPMENT OF GANGS IN NEW ZEALAND A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology at the University of Canterbury Jarrod Gilbert 2010 2 Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................... 8 ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................ 9 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 11 Gang Definitions ............................................................................................................................. 15 Methodology: Building a History .................................................................................................... 19 Research Methods .......................................................................................................................... 19 Documents and the Media ............................................................................................................... 19 Ethnographic Fieldwork .................................................................................................................... 22 Formal Interviews ............................................................................................................................. 31 Issues of Ethics ............................................................................................................................... 34 Structure of the Thesis ................................................................................................................... 37 1. A HISTORY OF GANG RESEARCH: PART I (1898-1970) ................................. 41 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 41 The Pioneers .................................................................................................................................. 42 The Chicago School ......................................................................................................................... 48 The Post War Period: The Rise of Delinquency and Gang Theory .................................................... 52 Theory and Policy Merge – Action Research ................................................................................... 58 The First New Zealand Studies, Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs, and British Moral Panic ......................... 63 A Lull in Gang Research .................................................................................................................. 69 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 70 2. A HISTORY OF GANG RESEARCH: PART II (1970 ONWARDS) ...................... 73 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 73 Understanding Changes in the U.S. ................................................................................................. 74 Growth and Gang Migration ............................................................................................................. 75 Changes in Criminality ...................................................................................................................... 75 Evolving Gang Types ......................................................................................................................... 79 Age Changes ...................................................................................................................................... 80 Ethnic Differences ............................................................................................................................. 81 Understanding the Influences of Gang Membership and Action ..................................................... 85 Social and Psychological Influences of Gang Membership ............................................................... 88 3 Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs ............................................................................................................... 93 Understanding Gangs and Gender ................................................................................................ 100 Definitional Problems ............................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. Globalisation, Gangs, and Comparative Research ......................................................................... 116 New Zealand Research Contributions ........................................................................................... 120 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 128 3. THE FOUNDATIONS FOR THE MODERN GANG: THE 1950S. ....................... 131 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 131 New Zealand Gangs in the 1950s .................................................................................................. 132 Economic Prosperity – The Gangs of the Good Times .................................................................... 137 Relative Deprivation – Socio Economics and the Housing Strain ................................................... 141 The Political and Social Response ................................................................................................. 150 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 162 4. THE RISE OF THE OUTLAW CLUBS: 1960-1970. ............................................ 165 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 165 The Pivot Point ............................................................................................................................. 166 Youth Crime and the Response of the Second National Government ............................................ 168 The Hell’s Angels Form in Auckland .............................................................................................. 175 The Police Reaction – a Source of Cohesion .................................................................................. 184 Rebellion and the 1960s Social Environment ................................................................................ 194 An Inside View of the Hell’s Angels’ Activities ............................................................................... 201 Follow the Leader -The Growth of Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs ........................................................ 206 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 213 5. THE RISE OF POLYNESIAN STREET GANGS: 1960-1970S ............................ 217 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 217 The Mongrel Mob (Part I) ............................................................................................................. 218 Ethnic Migrations and Multiple Marginality .................................................................................. 229 Polynesian Street Gangs and the Influence of the First Pivot Point ............................................... 242 4 The Mongrel Mob (Part II) ............................................................................................................ 255 Black Power ................................................................................................................................. 264 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 272 6. CONFLICT AND ITS CONSEQUENCES: 1970-1980 .......................................... 277 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 277 Politics and Policing: Norman Kirk and Gideon Tait ....................................................................... 278 The First Gang War ....................................................................................................................... 285 The Hell’s Angels: From Prison to Profit ........................................................................................ 315 Politics and Social Changes: Rob Muldoon and Denis O’Reilly ....................................................... 323 The Moerewa Incident: The Second Pivot Point ............................................................................ 335 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 346 7. THE RISE AND FALL OF THE SOCIAL AGENDA: 1980-1990 ........................ 349 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 349 A Social Experiment – The Group Employment