Why the hating on Mongrel Mob drug rehabilitation programme best sums up the gleeful ignorance of NZ

I think that the vast chunk of Kiwis who were screaming about funding a Mongrel Mob meth Rehan programme never knew where the money came from.

They were furious that taxpayer dollars were being spent on rehab programmes for the people who were peddling the meth in the first place.

That narrative structure was difficult to counter, especially because it wasn’t true.

What most didn’t understand was that the money wasn’t taxpayer dollars but was instead from the misuse of crime fines.

This was gang money paying for gang rehab.

And did the programme work?

Yes it did…

What really happened at Mongrel Mob’s methamphetamine treatment programme

The Mongrel Mob-run Kahukura programme tackling methamphetamine addiction became a political football, funded by Dame Jacinda Ardern’s Government, and cancelled under Christopher Luxon’s. Senior writer Derek Cheng looks at what actually happened. Did it succeed?

NZME

…spoiler alert, it worked.

But the truth is that it doesn’t matter that it worked.

It didn’t matter that the funds were from the proceeds of crime and not tax dollars

All that matter is that it was closed down because National wanted to look tough on crime and the angry rednecks who love that bullshit just wanted to see Gangs get the bash rather than a rehabilitation service that actually worked for them.

My fear about this Government is that they are incapable of differentiating between Mongrel Mob, Comancheros and 501 syndicates.

Getting angry criminals off drugs using money collected from selling drugs is a smart use of money to target and tackle the worst agents of addiction.

Burning the programme to the ground for counter productive outcomes just to win the publicity war highlights how far we have yet to go to be able to have adult discussions on the nuance of crime and punishment.