Four police officers, four prison officers and two court security officers were stationed around a public gallery that was notably emptier on Thursday than at an earlier appearance in November when tensions boiled over in the courtroom.
During that appearance, Mongrel Mob members began barking like dogs and yelling "sieg heil" following not guilty pleas entered by Damien Kuru and Damien Fantham-Baker, forcing an increased security presence to remove all gang members from the courtroom.
A brawl erupted outside, resulting in the arrest of two men.
A trial date is not yet able to be set for the six men alleged to have murdered Ratana and they will next appear in the court on September 2.
Ratana, known as "Kastro", was a patched member of the Mongrel Mob and was an aspiring rapper.
His tangi was held on the River Rd in Parikino in August last year and attracted an increased police presence that included an eye-in-the-sky Eagle helicopter.
Ratana left behind two sons and a partner.
