A third of New Zealand’s estimated gang population is behind bars according to new statistics released by Corrections.
The figures reveal patched gang members and their associates make up 3124 of the 10,623 sentenced and remand prison inmates.
Between them, they are members of 64 different gangs - see them ranked in the graph below.
The Mongrel Mob tops the list in terms of gang members or associates behind bars (742), followed by Black Power (439), Crips (310), Killer Beez (285) and Head Hunters (189).
Police say there are more than 10,000 gang and associate members in total in New Zealand.
A host of lesser-known gangs also have members or associates in jail according to the Corrections list dated September 3, 2025 - including Nga Toa 64 Aotearoa and Junior Dom Kings who have five each.
Gangs with only one member in prison include Rastafarian, Devils Henchman MC, Bad Troublesome Ward, Fourth Reich, No Surrender MC, Epitaph Riders MC, Red Devils MC, Southern Vikings MC, Lone Wolf MC, DMS Drugs Money Sex and Iron Thunder MC.
Corrections said it identified gang links via tattoos and markings, gang documentation and paraphernalia, information and intelligence from other agencies or sources, comments made to staff and “staff observations”.
The size of the gang-associated prison population was something both Corrections and the Corrections Minister hope will drop.
A Corrections spokesperson said the department “took all reasonable steps to discourage people from gang membership.
That included providing programmes and opportunities “to support them to disassociate themselves from gangs and related activities.
“This can involve moving people to different units or prisons or building alternative support networks,” the spokesperson said.
“Assistance can also include individually planned rehabilitation initiatives that help gang-affiliated people address their offending behaviours and support them to build sustainable and law-abiding lifestyles.”
While the Mongrel Mob has more members and associates in prison than any other gang, it has also seen one of the biggest decreases in prison numbers.
Five years ago there were 980 patched or associate members in prisons. Today, that number is 742.
Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell said he would like gang membership dropped even lower.
That included via the programmes offered by Corrections, while also calling on gang leaders to encourage a different way of life.
Last year he met with senior gang leaders before the Gang Patch legislation became law urging them to break the gang cycle.
“These senior gang members have a responsibility to help break the generational cycle.
“I have heard this firsthand from senior gang members, and my message to them is clear. They need to be actively out there talking to these young people and encouraging them to choose a life outside of the gangs.”
Lifetime Black Power member and community advocate Denis O’Reilly said gangs in New Zealand were at a crossroads.
Leaving a gang when you are in prison was a tough proposition.
“You have to survive,” O’Reilly said.
He said the gang patch legislation had seen some old school gang members hang up their colours.
“We are in what sociologists would call the liminal space - a place that is neither here nor there,” O’Reilly said.
“A lot of gang members have appreciated the new laws because it has taken a weight off their shoulders and they have called time. Plus, gangs are not annoying the public or for the most part each other.”
But O’Reilly warned there was a new cohort of Māori joining up to gang life.
“There’s a kaupapa-based generation entering the gang ranks, who were being fuelled by social media.
“If you look at the gang demographic, it is pretty much Māori society and we have to be careful we are not fuelling another cycle of gangism taking off.
“We really need to break the cycle. Where do we want the police car parked? At the bottom or top of the cliff?”
Mitchell agreed, saying Corrections is spending millions of dollars on rehabilitation programmes.
“The support is there in our prisons for people who are serious about turning their lives around, and becoming contributing members of society,” Mitchell said.
“For anyone wanting to leave gang life, my message is simple, you have a choice. Set an example by taking charge of your life and leave.
We want gangster lifestyle in New Zealand to be as difficult as possible
“The support is there, but at the end of the day the onus is on prisoners to make the most of the opportunities available to them to turn their lives around for the better.”
Joseph Los’e joined NZME in 2022 as the Kaupapa Maori Editor. Los’e was chief reporter, news director at the Sunday News newspaper covering crime, justice and sport. He was also editor of the NZ Truth and before NZME worked for urban Māori organisation Whānau Waipareira.