A once-dominant South Island gang has been removed from the Gangs Act list after police deemed them to be "no longer active in New Zealand".
The Road Knights MC were formally delisted last month following a Cabinet proposal brought by Police Minister Mark Mitchell.
The decision on February 2, 2026 read: "Police has identified that members of the group known as 'Road Knights MC' have not offended in New Zealand within the previous 5 years. In addition to dwindling membership, there is no evidence of members of this group causing harm to the community through criminal offending."
At the same time the Road Knights were removed, the Immortal Souls MC were added to the Gangs Act list. Being listed enables police to issue dispersal notices, enforce non‑consorting orders, restrict insignia, and have gang membership recognised as an aggravating factor at sentencing.
Criteria to be listed as an identified gang include a common name or identifying signs, symbols, or representation, being currently active, and having members or associates who have committed category 3 or 4 offences, such as serious violence, firearms and drug dealing.
Mitchell said police regularly assessed their intelligence and provided advice on the removal or addition of gangs to the specified gangs list in the Gangs Act.
"In this case, I was satisfied with the advice and proceeded with removal," he said in a statement to 1News.
He said the delisting was not directly linked to the Government’s wider gang policy, but added that nationwide policy settings had contributed to broader reductions in gang activity.
"What reflects the success of the Government’s gang policy is no longer seeing patched gang members intimidating the public, taking over our roads, and 49,000 fewer victims of violent crime," he said.
National Gang Unit crime manager Inspector Wayne Gray said the Road Knights were once heavily involved in violent inter‑gang conflict, particularly during the 1980s in the lower South Island.
"Police intelligence indicates that these chapters have declined to such an extent as to be essentially defunct," he said.
'A long time coming' - gang expert
Gang researcher Dr Jarrod Gilbert said the delisting marked the end of a group that was once a dominant force in the South Island, with strong chapters in Timaru, Invercargill and Christchurch.
"They had a massive presence for the longest time, they were one of the most significant groups in the South Island," he told 1News.
Starting in Timaru, they later expanded into Invercargill, where Gilbert said they "basically took over everyone there", before absorbing members of the Harris Gang to establish a Christchurch chapter.
But internal tensions and methamphetamine "did them" in, Gilbert said, with addiction and instability making the gang less appealing to prospective members.
"If you're not looking attractive to new recruits, then new recruits clearly don't come, and then that becomes a death spiral," he said.
He said their demise was "amazing" given how prominent they had been.
"This is a long time coming. It probably should have been off the list years ago."
Gilbert said the Road Knights collapse demonstrated a shift in New Zealand's gang landscape.
"Those outlaw clubs that had been in existence since the 60s or 70s have disappeared in recent times — they've kind of been replaced by other groups," he said.
"A lot of the mainstays of New Zealand gang scene have disappeared and this is one of them."
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