Editorial: Leave patch ban to Govt

New Zealand First list MP Clayton Mitchell said he would email the mayor and councillors to get the issue back on the table. Photo / George Novak

There are many pressing issues the Tauranga City Council needs to tackle but a gang patch ban is not one of them.

This week, the Bay of Plenty Times reported a bid to ban the wearing of gang patches will be the swansong for Tauranga City councillor Clayton Mitchell before he officially resigns.

Speaking from Parliament, the New Zealand First list MP said he would email the mayor and councillors to get the issue back on the table.

His concerns that patched gang members intimidated people going about their daily lives were first raised in March.

The move does not appear to have the full support of the council, with one councillor saying the gang patch issue has been put into "dormant mode", unless there is a significant community demand for a bylaw.

The fact there has not been a significant push from the community for such a move suggests Mr Clayton's bid will not get much traction.

Don't get me wrong, a ban on gang patches does have merits.

It removes the posturing and intimidation that wearing gang patches allows and it provides police with an effective tool in controlling their activities.

However, it is an issue that needs to tackled by central government, not in a piecemeal fashion by local authorities.

The Prohibition of Gang Insignia in Government Premises Act, which was championed by Rotorua MP Todd McClay, already makes it an offence to wear a gang patch in all government departments and council offices, with those who contravene the law subject to arrest, fine and the insignia being confiscated and destroyed.

Far better for our council to concentrate on more pressing issues - not least of which are tackling the city's high debt level, planning for an ageing population and housing affordability.