Mob TV show not for sale

TVNZ has confirmed it was unable to buy an episode of a documentary series on the world's most notorious gangs which featured the Mongrel Mob.

TVNZ is now screening the third series of Ross Kemp on Gangs.

Truth newspaper reports this week that the first series featured an episode about the Mob, but TVNZ spokeswoman Megan Richards said the rights for that series were never cleared for international distribution.

"We made repeated approaches to the distributor and the answer was no."

Truth said the Mob episode was made in 2006 with the gang's co-operation and featured street fights with hammers, knives and golf clubs and showed an axe attack in Christchurch's Cathedral Square.