Gangs meet for ‘peace conference’ on marae

Press, 30 November 1978, Page 1

Gangs meet for ‘peace conference’ on marae

Members of three of Christchurch’s biggest gangs met in an organised “peace conference” at the Rehua Marae in Springfield Road, St Albans, last evening. The meeting was called to help defuse a tense gang rivalry in the city ■ which has erupted into violence several times in the last few weeks. It. was attended by more than 100 members of the Black Power, Mongrel Mob and Highway 61 gangs—together with representatives of the police, the

Maori Affairs Department, and Maori elders. The peaceful gathering scotched rumours that Christchurch’s rival gangs were bringing in reinforcements from the North Island and other South Island centres, and that a confrontation would take place at the David Bowie rock concert at Queen Elizabeth II Park last evening. Most of the recent conflict has involved the Black Power gang and the Epitaph Riders motor-cycle gang—which was not

represented at the meeting. It was hoped that the Epitaph Riders might be persuaded to attend another big peace meeting within the next few days, said the chairman of the Polynesian Support Group in Christchurch (Mr Rongo Nihoniho). The senior police representative at the meeting (Inspector C. Graham) said the conference had been “extremely helpful.” but declined to comment further. The police kept the headquarters of all Christchurch

gangs under surveillance throughout yesterday, but no problems were reported. A police spokesman said it had not been confirmed that the Epitaph Riders—who are on their own in the present rivalry—had called for help from Invercargill’s Antarctic Angels gang, or that Mongrel Mob reinforcements were on their way from the North Island. The police said earlier this week that the gang situation was well under control, and that the public had nothing to fear.