Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

'Doesn't lead to good outcomes': Judge's advice for notorious tattooed Mongrel Mob member

Hawkes Bay Today
12 Feb, 2020 12:12 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Puk Kireka, 32, broke his partner's nose outside Flaxmere College after an argument. Photo / File

Puk Kireka, 32, broke his partner's nose outside Flaxmere College after an argument. Photo / File

A judge has told a notorious Hawke's Bay Mongrel Mob member he should continue to distance himself from a gang lifestyle that "does not lead to good outcomes".

Poutawa (Puk) Whiti Kireka, 32, was sentenced in the Hastings District Court on Wednesday on a charge of assault in a family relationship, Stuff reported.

Kireka, who broke his partner's nose in the argument outside Flaxmere College in October, pleaded guilty in December.

The mobster created worldwide headlines when he claimed in an interview with Hawke's Bay Today last year that he was trying to live a better life, but his distinctive red-and-black facial tattoo was holding him back from getting a job.

US Rapper 50 Cent subsequently mocked him.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Puk Kireka, 32, broke his partner's nose outside Flaxmere College after an argument. Photo / File
Puk Kireka, 32, broke his partner's nose outside Flaxmere College after an argument. Photo / File

On October 5 at 7pm, Kireka and his partner were sitting outside Flaxmere College when an argument erupted between them, the police summary of facts says.

She was trying to walk away he caught up to her. Kireka struck her in the middle of the face and she fell to the ground. He stood over her, then picked her up and held her before police arrived at the scene.

Kireka was supported by his partner, family and his employer in court on Wednesday, Stuff reported.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

His defence counsel Matt Phelps said a meeting had been held between the couple and had proved successful.

Judge Bridget Mackintosh acknowledged the couple's willingness to work through the what had happened.

"Both of you have been working hard to put it into perspective and put it behind you," she said.

She said Kireka's employer spoke highly of him and he was working through the Eastern Institute of Technology to gain a qualification.

"Whilst you still have an affiliation through the Mongrel Mob, you are slowly, but surely distancing yourself from that life style - a deep involvement with the Mongrel Mob doesn't lead to good outcomes."

Along with supervision, Kireka was also asked to attend a domestic violence programme, along with a drug and alcohol programme, Stuff reported.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today
|Updated

Motorist dies after four crashes in 40 minutes in Hawke's Bay

Hawkes Bay Today

'We have you surrounded': Police stood down after Hawke's Bay stand-off, search continues

Premium
Hawkes Bay Today

Black Ferns: Tui pair on the big bird for matches in South Africa


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Motorist dies after four crashes in 40 minutes in Hawke's Bay
Hawkes Bay Today
|Updated

Motorist dies after four crashes in 40 minutes in Hawke's Bay

Some roads remained blocked.

17 Jul 06:02 AM
'We have you surrounded': Police stood down after Hawke's Bay stand-off, search continues
Hawkes Bay Today

'We have you surrounded': Police stood down after Hawke's Bay stand-off, search continues

17 Jul 04:06 AM
Premium
Premium
Black Ferns: Tui pair on the big bird for matches in South Africa
Hawkes Bay Today

Black Ferns: Tui pair on the big bird for matches in South Africa

17 Jul 04:00 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP