Photo: RNZ / John Edens
Wellsford's volunteer fire brigade is expected to return a $2500 donation from the local chapter of the Head Hunters motorcycle gang.
Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden said she understood Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) was working with the brigade to give back the money raised during last weekend's charity ride, following "several negative comments" and complaints from the public.
The motorcycle gang's Wellsford chapter has held a fundraising ride it calls the Outlaw Run annually for about 15 years, with a different local charity benefitting each time.
However, van Velden said she did not support volunteer brigades accepting donations from parties associated with organised crime gangs, calling them a "scourge on our communities".
The money raised was to have gone towards an all-terrain vehicle to help the brigade's volunteer firefighters reach emergencies in off-road locations around Wellsford, about 80km north of Auckland.
In a Facebook post, since removed, the brigade said it provided its service to everyone in the community, and was grateful when that support was returned.
After a previous controversy in 2015, one of the organisers of the Outlaw Run, who declined to be named, said proceeds from previous runs had been donated to Hato Hone St John Ambulance, local kindergartens and a child with cancer.
He said there was "good and bad in every group" and club members were "just normal people".
Community support for the event was demonstrated by the more than 40 mostly local businesses that had sponsored the 2015 run, the organiser said.
However, the donation comes amid plans by the new coalition government to crack down on gang activity and visibility, including a ban on gang patches in public places.
A FENZ spokesperson said the organisation would convey a clear message to all its members that it did not support volunteer brigades accepting donations from parties associated with organised crime groups.
The spokesperson said FENZ was "working with the brigade to assist them with next steps", but would not say if that meant returning the donation.
Most volunteer fire brigades, including Wellsford's, were separate legal entities from FENZ and received donations in an independent capacity, the spokesperson said.
The Head Hunters Motorcycle Club is reportedly headquartered in the Auckland suburb of Ellerslie with chapters in West Auckland, Wellsford, Northland and Wellington.
