Of course they're courting the Mongrel Mob.

“Te Pāti Māori and the Greens have shown New Zealanders where their priorities lie, courting votes at a Mongrel Mob pad and posing for selfies with patched gang members,” says ACT Deputy Leader Nicole McKee.

“It's hardly surprising these parties think the Mongrel Mob is a promising place to campaign. The Greens oppose measures to put more offenders behind bars, and Te Pāti Māori wants to abolish prisons by 2040.

“Oriini Kaipara says the visit was about the ‘health and wellbeing of the Mob community’. Their health and wellbeing would be a lot better if they stopped cooking meth, assaulting each other, and abusing their families.

“ACT isn't expecting any votes from Mongrel Mob members, but if they're considering it, my message is don't bother. If you're making a living from crime, our policies are directly against your interests. We've brought back Three Strikes, scrapped the prison population reduction target, and will ensure anyone who commits three burglaries gets three years in prison.

“It's one thing when these parties are in Opposition, but imagine the Mongrel Mob having the ear of Cabinet Ministers. In fact we've been there before, with taxpayer funding going to gang-run meth programmes under Labour and the Greens. We need to lock these nutty ideas out on 7 November.

“I wait for the day where Green and Te Pāti Māori candidates meet with the victims of gang violence. Those victims deserve to live in peace, without intimidation and drug-fuelled crime in their communities."