Ulaiasi ‘Rocky’ Pulete dies after long battle with ill health, funeral expected to draw hundreds of gang members across Auckland

Ulaiasi 'Rocky' Pulete outside the North Shore District Court in 2009. He was later convicted of a drug-dealing offence orchestrated while inside prison. Photo / Dean Purcell

A giant of the criminal underworld has died after years of ill health.

Better known as “Rocky”, Ulaiasi Pulete was one of the most senior members of the King Cobras gang in Auckland and highly regarded across the wider criminal fraternity in New Zealand.

Hundreds of gang members are expected to pay their respects at Pulete’s funeral later this week, with police warning motorists to be aware of a heavy gang presence on the roads.

The 57-year-old started his criminal career in the early 1990s as a bank robber, before morphing into a drug importer as the lucrative methamphetamine trade boomed at the end of that decade.

With so much of his adult life spent in prison, Pulete carefully cultivated trusting relationships with other inmates and was considered one of the most well-connected criminals in the country.

This was illustrated by the fact he was convicted of orchestrating international drug networks from behind bars, on two separate occasions.

However, Pulete kept out of trouble with the law after he was released from his final prison lag of six years and three months in 2017.

The following year, Pulete suffered an unfortunate accident.

He was pinned against a brick wall after his ute rolled down the driveway at his Auckland home in 2018, and taken to Middlemore Hospital for surgery.

Waking up after the operation, Pulete was unable to move his legs.

He spent the next 12 months in hospital recovering from the ordeal, which Pulete described as worse than a 12 year prison sentence.

“The first month was quite frustrating to be honest but then it turned into the most beautiful journey of my life,” Pulete later wrote on social media.

“Doctors say I won’t walk again, all I can say is, never say never. Insha Allah.”

The wheelchair-bound Pulete then moved to a rural property in Henderson, west Auckland, where he was supported by full-time caregivers until his death last Friday.

He kept busy in ongoing battles with ACC over his care, and joined protest marches against the conflict in Palestine and the Treaty Principles Bill.

During this period, the senior King Cobra left his criminal lifestyle behind but was visited often by friends with chequered pasts and members of rival gangs.

Despite no longer taking an active role in organised crime, police and criminal sources said Pulete remained trusted in the underworld and knowledgeable about the environment.

Rocky Pulete with Herald reporter Jared Savage in 2021. Pulete had featured in Savage's book Gangland and he wanted the author to sign his copy. Photo / Supplied

His death has been met with tributes on social media, where friends described him as an “OG” - original gangster - and commented on his kindness and generosity.

Pulete has been lying in state at the King Cobra pad in Manurewa, but is expected to be buried in Onehunga on Friday.

The funeral is likely to draw hundreds of mourners to pay their respects over the coming days, with the police warning Auckland motorists to expect an increase in gang members on the roads.

“Police will be monitoring to ensure the safety of the community, to monitor traffic movement and to minimise any disruption to the public,” Inspector Kelly Farrant said.

“We will also be investigating any unlawful behaviour, and where enforcement action can not be taken at the time, expect our staff to follow up.”

Jared Savage covers crime and justice issues, with a particular interest in organised crime. He joined the Herald in 2006 and has won a dozen journalism awards in that time, including twice being named Reporter of the Year. He is also the author of Gangland, Gangster’s Paradise and Underworld.