Police have called for a meeting over the Mongrel Mob holding patching ceremonies on Te Mata Peak that has left tourists and locals feeling "intimidated" .
They are set to meet with the council, iwi and Te Mata trust tomorrow after video and stories of the patching on Saturday emerged online.
Video posted on Facebook shows a large group wearing Mongrel Mob jackets in the car park on the mountain near Hastings. In the video a man is making a speech in a loud voice, and at one point members of the group call out a chant and hold up their arms in salute.
"Police are taking this matter seriously and will be meeting with council, iwi and the Te Mata trust to discuss Saturday's event and the appropriate planning and response around any future events of a similar nature we become aware of," a police spokesperson told NZ Herald today.
Police say they are calling the meeting due to safety concerns.
"Public safety is our primary concern and due to potential risks with the number of vehicles on the Te Mata Peak summit road on Saturday, the road was closed to vehicles for a time.
"This was a safety measure to limit the number of vehicles on the road, but walking and cycle access was not restricted."
Councillor Damon Harvey says he has been told locals and tourists were prevented from driving or walking up Te Mata Peak on Saturday afternoon and that it could have been for a patching ceremony.
"I was contacted by a concerned resident last night, who had been speaking to some visitors to Hawke’s Bay that had felt intimidated and told to turn back around and not go to the top of the peak," Mr Harvey said in a statement issued by a public relations company.
Mr Harvey said he was also told police were in attendance, but didn’t stop the event.
"The tourists were shocked that this could happen in public and felt intimidated. If they were holding a patching ceremony, then that’s totally unacceptable. I walk and ride up there regularly, as do many family and friends, it needs to remain a safe place."
Te Mata Park should not be closed off to the public so that new members can be welcomed into a gang, he said.
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