Gangland: New Zealand's Underworld of Organised Crime

by Jared Savage

New Zealand's underworld of organised crime and deadly gangs

New Zealand is now one of the most lucrative illicit drug markets in the world. Organised crime is about making money. It's a business. But over the past 20 years, the dealers have graduated from motorcycle gangs to Asian crime syndicates and now the most dangerous drug lords in the world - the Mexican cartels.

In Gangland, award-winning investigative reporter Jared Savage shines a light into New Zealand's rising underworld of organised crime and violent gangs.

The brutal execution of a husband-and-wife; the undercover cop who infiltrated a casino VIP lounge; the midnight fishing trip which led to the country's biggest cocaine bust; the gangster who shot his best friend in a motorcycle shop: these stories go behind the headlines and open the door to an invisible world - a world where millions of dollars are made, life is cheap, and allegiances change like the flick of a switch.

Genres: Nonfiction, Crime, Audiobook, True Crime

288 pages, Paperback

Published October 26, 2021

Reviews

[Trudie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure "enjoyable" is the right word for this one.

Somewhat uncomfortably, I recognise many of the locations mentioned here and have been blithely driving past a large gang headquarters on several occasions. Not sure how long this state of hyper-alertness for nefarious activity in and around Auckland will last but I am certainly side-eying any gold plated Harley Davidsons and avoiding the VIP lounge of Sky City Casino ;)

Gangland is an informative review of the evolution of the NZ drug scene starting from the mid-nineties and including the latest phenomenon of "501" deportees ( thanks Australia ). I think unless you have been paying particular attention to the criminal courts, the scale of drug importation and international connectedness of the NZ underworld is going to come as a bit of a shock.

While I would have liked a broader discussion of the drug scene, perhaps with a users perspective this is a book very much focused on 12 key cases in the history of the NZ underworld. It relies heavily on court filings and the authors own sources to flesh out what can be a very confusing series of meetings, drops and interceptions.

An entertaining and scary peek behind the curtain of organised crime.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

An informative and interesting overview of the development of the illegal drug trade in New Zealand, as facilitated by significant gangs. I'm not sure I'd describe this book as shocking, but elements of the reading experience were confronting, as the recognisable places are many. It is clear that this is not a social issue occurring in distant places, but all around us. Savage focuses his narrative on 12 specific cases, and each builds a picture of how the drug trade has developed over time. Ganglands is extremely accessibly written which is a strenght, but this narrative tone did detract a little from my reading experience. A valuable addition to non-fiction exploring issues in NZ society.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty interesting read. Quite biased towards the Police. The book doesn’t delve deeply into the reasons for why people choose to associate with gangs in New Zealand, but I do feel like I’ve learned quite a lot about gang interaction and our illicit drug market.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh crikey! You think you know your country, then you read something like this and discover that you’ve no idea! The seedy underbelly of the crime world is exposed in this book about the P industry in NZ. There are some very nasty and ruthless characters there. Don’t annoy them, you’ll end up covered in concrete 😳. Even though this is about a very grim world, it has moments where I laughed out loud. It’s written in a great conversational style and hums along really well, even though a lot if the time my mouth was hanging open in shock at the ruthlessness of the baddies!

This isn’t my usual fare, but our Writers and Readers Festival is approaching so I’m trying to read the works of guests. I found it eye opening and fascinating. I had absolutely no idea how pervasive P is in our society and the lengths people will go to to protect that industry. Scary stuff! Aldo a. Insight into the business of the gangs, which seems so far removed from one’s daily life, but is it? Well written and truly engaging.

[Laila · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-structured book with easy-to-read prose, I enjoyed reading this book and learned a thing or two about the nature of New Zealand's organised crime entities. Lesson to us all--stay out of it.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Checks out

[Sue Gerhardt Griffiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, thorough, informative and a real eye-opener. Ooh, perhaps we might see another Underbelly series coming soon. Have watched them all, scary as all shit but I loved them anyways.

Audio version narrated by Stephen Lovett was terrific.

[Jayden Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gangland goes beyond the headlines to provide an interesting and detailed look into the development organised crime in New Zealand.

Reading this was quite personal to me, as one of the criminals responsible for the largest ever import of Methamphetamine, detailed in chapter 8, is a former work colleague of mine. Reading the detail of who else was involved in the job, and how it ultimately unfolded was quite harrowing.

My favourite chapter was 'Just the Facts: Attack of the Killer Beez' which explores how the key players involved in the explosion of the ABC youth gangs of the mid 2000s have since evolved.

I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in organised crime or the wider NZ gang scene.

[Vaughan Hatton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really did enjoy this book. It was a gripping page turning that highlights the size and satisfaction of the underground organized crime scene in New Zealand. I do understand the damage meth does to NZ and the size of the epidemic but the only reason I couldn't give this book 5 stars is, I was hoping it would go more into other gangs/drugs other than those associated with the Meth scene.

[Delcene Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book covers the evolution of organised crime in New Zealand focusing on the increased sophistication in the manufacture and distribution of ice (methamphetamine) and subsequent money laundering practices.

The author tracks through the progression from hick garage set ups to OMCG involvement with the assistance of Asian Crime Syndicates through to the Mexican Cartels.

Sounds exciting doesn’t it.

Yeah, nah, it wasn’t.

The author needed a better editor I fear.

He waffled on and each chapter became more and more repetitive.

Another minus was the author’s propensity to cite closing remarks from Justices at sentencing hearings at the end of each chapter.

The Justices invariably express shock, horror and disgust at the offending and then give them appallingly short sentences.

No wonder Ice trafficking is out of control.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was eye-opening and horrifying. Quite well written - a few spelling and grammatical errors FYI.

[Jonathan Corfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you kids on drugs? By thunder, if I find you are I'm going to get the stockwhip out the back of my car and give you a hell of a fucking hiding.
Taking the skin off your back is a touch hypocritical given my propensity for a legalised drug I suppose and I also suppose booze is highly addictive and causes social harm as well. Okay, I'm putting the stockwhip and my ire back in the car, but gangs though... quite the headline getters at the moment aren't they? Well, as long as they're not shooting anyone we know, what harm are they causing anyway?
This book is not for anyone who carries any fear that they are going to be murdered to death in their beds. It is probably also fodder for the Sensible Sentencing Trust
(A misnomer in my opinion. They're anything but sensible). It provides an interesting insight into the drug trade in New Zealand and the opinion by Police that they are only catching a minority of what drugs are being produced and imported into this country.
"We can't arrest our way out of the problem." There just isn't enough time or resource and many see incarceration at all levels the only solution. Here's a spoiler: it isn't.
What is the solution?
I'm buggered if I know. Probably turning down a point of P if offered to you and having a beer instead? Maybe?

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Provided a good insight to the meth game in NZ, though I feel as though the title needed a change. Main focus was meth rather than gang culture. Also wasn’t fond of how they felt the need to point out the race of every Māori, Polynesian, and Asian person in the book, yet wouldn’t point out that someone is caucasian.

[Chrystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a Kiwi I found this book interesting. However I did often get lots in the massive amount of names in some of these sordid tales.
I'm not sure whether all of this information was ever on the news as I learnt of murdered body burials close to home.
Turns out our drug problems alot bigger then I ever knew. Hopefully the government makes some changes soon

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-researched and reliable, local journalist Jared Savage's book is however not very engrossing. For a much more compelling, albeit occasionally fictionalised, version of events, try Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities.

[Chris Philpott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook. A fascinating series of stories following the rise of gangs and organised crime through the lens of the drug trade. And interesting to see a few locations I recognised mentioned - shouts to Aviemore Drive, near my old house!

[Fernée Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend such an interesting book!

[Birta · Rating 4 out of 5]

A page turner.

I was shocked at how much money is going out of New Zealand due to drug crime.

[Gwyneth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super interesting window to the underworld of NZ. I was a bit worried it would have the typical "drugs are evil" stance but it really just focused on the operations and sheer scale of organised crime here, and recognised some of the failures in NZ policy, our ambulance at the bottom of the cliff approach with the misuse of drugs act etc.

3 stars because the writing wasn't particularly gripping, and it was interesting that he seemed to point out everyone's race except caucasians, while spelling māori wrong throughout

Insightful nonetheless

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and informative!

[sheerin · Rating 4 out of 5]

inch arresting

[Karen Aitkenhead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some gorgeous gossip in here. Salacious true crime. Breaking Bad meets Remuera.

[Tom J · Rating 2 out of 5]

awful! absolutely awful. i'm not sure if it's the audible voice actor changing how the text is meant to be read, but this is a brutally self satisfied, smug book about how great the cops are and how everyone involved in drug trafficking is a stupid idiot

there should be some rules around true crime writing. if there were, one of them would be that the cops are only allowed to be judged as successful if they materially impact the world in a way that isn't immediately counteracted by criminals. almost every chapter ends with the cops triumphantly celebrating another dunce of a criminal getting arrested, whereupon the author gets a pang of conscience and feels compelled to mention that the criminal got 2 years and didn't serve any of the time. these are not successes! these are horrific misuses of public money that should be spent elsewhere!

the majority of the book is following these pyrrhic victories by the police, with snide little jabs at the intelligence or weight of the criminals that are being caught. there is a constant, bizarre, triumphal tone that the cops are making the "biggest meth bust in nz history", and only in the epilogue does the author deign to note that this is a pointless approach to resolving drug crime. the cops rejoice that they caught one of the hundreds of shipments into the country, and the remaining traffickers rejoice too, now that there is marginally less competition.

this leads to what i guess would be another rule of crime writing, which is that it's deeply idiotic to pretend crime is some kind of bafflingly unknowable morass that comes from nowhere and has no societal/economic causes. in the mindset of this kind of book, people are selling meth because meth is uniquely powerful and evil, and the myriad reasons that people become involved in its production, sale or consumption are flattened down to something that can be easily ignored. usually there's an attempt at outlining some kind of worldview that places meth manufacturing and consumption into a framework which is then justified by the cases the author includes, but here it's just taken as read that the reader has the same position as the author and he doesn't bother.

it sucks because this is an interesting book with interesting things to say! the spread of methamphetamine throughout new zealand is fascinating and urgent! but unfortunately we don't get to read a book that tracks it and discusses it, instead we get to relive the glory days of whichever cops would speak to the author. a book which takes a more academic position and treats the police with some (any) skepticism would be an instant read for me, unfortunately this book falls far short of that goal.


ps.
not to harp on it, but it is genuinely incredible that almost every criminal got short sentences or just didn't get charged. the triumphant tone about these arrests would make you think they'd sent an entire syndicate to prison for decades, as opposed to 5 year sentences that they serve 18 months of

[Anne Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jarad Savage is a New Zealand investigative reporter who has dug deep into many of the organised crime trials which have occurred in New Zealand over the last 15-20 years. It’s more a look at New Zealand’s organised drug crime than the gangs themselves, but the linking of these major crimes and the connections of the key people involved makes for interesting reading. I learned that much of the early drug running into New Zealand was organised via Chinese networks, and our local gangs have acted as the retail distributors once the product is available. Some cases involve the importation of raw ingredients with manufacture occurring locally, other involve the importation of the finished product. Some cases are fascinating in their professionalism, others almost farcical in the ineptitude of their execution. The roles the various gangs play in the drug black market, and the changes to the players over time is explained. An interesting and enlightening read!

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jared Savage recounts the evolution of the methamphetamine trade in New Zealand - and how the meth market has changed the landscape of gangs operating in the country.

The drug trade can come across as an abstract concept, especially to people without any lived experience around drugs. However, Savage’s intimate knowledge of the big cases and big personalities who are involved in the importation, production, and distribution of meth in New Zealand went a long way to make these stories feel even more real. Indeed, it is a colourful cast of characters who keep the meth moving in New Zealand.

One fascinating take away from Savage’s book is the proliferation of Australian biker gangs in New Zealand since the amendments were made to Section 501 of the Migration Act 1958. This has shaken up the market and presents a high likelihood of new rivalries forming between the old guard and newcomers.

Check out Gangland if you’re looking for a fast and easy read.

[Macka · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find the writing in this somewhat contradictory.

One guy selling drugs in the story is a vicious gang member, and the next guy selling drugs is somehow a victim we should pity.

Also a lot of complaining about 501's, you would think that all of those deported were angels that had been hard done by and this was the catalyst for them turning to crime, but the fact that 12 months of imprisonment was a prerequisite prior to deportation is only mentioned once.

Maybe 501s was a good thing given the embarrassing performance of Australian drug squad detectives, as it appears New Zealand police are more efficient and less corrupt. Whether that will remain the case will be interesting to see given some of the heavies coming in.

Its a great overview of gangs in NZ, and im not sure if I hate the contraditions in the book. It might be a dry almost text book-esk deal without them, or it could make no difference. I say worth reading regardless.

[Ashleigh Hoare · Rating 3 out of 5]

• this book follows the evolution of organised crime in NZ from the mid 1990s to today
• the focus is on gangs, Asian organised crime groups, 501 established/fortified gangs (Rebels, Comancheros and Mongols) and Mexican cartels
• some of the Mongols facts are wrong (I'm overly critical because I've been working in criminal justice for almost a decade) but overall, this book is a good overview of the organised crime scene in NZ and future risks including corruption (public and private) and an increasing presence and use of firearms

I smashed it out in two days - the author is a NZ Herald reporter, it was like reading a series of articles.

[Lorenz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very interesting content but poorly written. Really could have done with a better editor. For a book that was published last year, it's pretty disappointing to spell Māori incorrectly as "Maori". It was also weird that the ethnicities of every Māori, Pacifica or Asian character were discussed but no remarks were made when a person was caucasian. Just makes you wonder about possible biases this book brings to this topic.
Referring to characters by the first name, last name or nickname interchangeably made each chapter confusing to read but the core of the story still came across.

[imogen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was super informative and a good read. I found it quite heavy as can be expected when reading a book like this. Sometimes, I found too much information was crammed into one page which made me have to reread it a few times before I understood everything. Other than that, this book was exactly what I expected it to be (informative, entertaining etc.) I recommend reading it if you want insight into New Zealand’s drug and gang underworld.