With gangs, we need to look at long-term solutions that will work (“smart on crime”), rather than just partake in moral panic. We need to look at the root causes of offending and re-offending, and we need to look at what are the main motivators for people joining gangs. Sometimes gangs are prevalent and influential, and other times they are not. It’s complex.

-Anne-Elise Smithson, Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand