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Story: Hawke’s Bay region

Pita Sharples talks to gang members, 2004

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Pita Sharples talks to gang members, 2004

Gangs are a visible presence in Hawke’s Bay and are involved in trade in illegal drugs. In 2004 Māori Party co-leader and Ngāti Kahungunu elder Pita Sharples met with members of the Mongrel Mob gang in Hastings to try to convince them to stop the sale and use of ‘P’ (pure methamphetamine) in their areas.

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How to cite this page

Kerryn Pollock, Hawke’s Bay region – Society, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/23947/pita-sharples-talks-to-gang-members-2004 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Kerryn Pollock, published 22 January 2010, updated 1 July 2015.