The Policy: National Gangs Crackdown Policy — 2023 Election →

TL;DR

• National has made it illegal to wear or display gang patches and other gang symbols in any public place. The idea is to take gangs' most visible show of intimidation off the streets so communities feel safer.
• The ban started on 21 November 2024 under the Gangs Act 2024. It applies to 35 named gangs and covers the patch and whatever it's on, like a jacket or a vehicle. The penalty is a fine of up to $5,000 or up to six months in prison.
• Police also got extra powers: they can order gang members to break up and stay apart for 7 days when three or more gather, and can apply for orders stopping named gang offenders from associating with each other.
• There are nearly 9,400 people on the police National Gang List, so this targets a large, defined group.
• Enforcement was immediate. Police made around a dozen arrests in the first 24 hours, and by late February 2025 had seized 76 patches and 67 firearms and laid 337 charges over gang symbols. National clearly delivered this promise.
• The big unknown is whether it actually reduces harm or just moves it around. Some lawyers warn the ban makes gangs harder to track and goes too far into people's private lives.

More detail

Supporters say seeing gang patches in public is intimidating in itself, and that removing them makes ordinary people feel safer in their own communities.

Critics, including the New Zealand Law Society, argue the ban is "an incursion into private life that is not justified on the evidence" and raises concerns under the Bill of Rights. A Wellington barrister argued that existing laws already covered gang offending, and that pushing patches out of sight could make gangs harder for police to identify and monitor. Whether the law cuts gang harm over the long term, rather than simply shifting it, is still unproven.