# Did Mongrel Mob Meth Program Work? > Mongrel Mob's $2.75m meth rehab program helped many stay clean but faces funding cut. - Title: Did Mongrel Mob Meth Program Work? · NZ Herald | Shortify - Summary: Mongrel Mob's $2.75m meth rehab program helped many stay clean but faces funding cut. Mongrel Mob's meth addiction program reduced use for many participants… - Keywords: mongrel mob, methamphetamine, kahukura, treatment program, proceeds of crime, hawke's bay, police minister, christopher luxon, dame jacinda ardern, hard 2 reach, harry tam, te pāti māori - Source: NZ Herald — https://nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/did-the-mongrel-mobs-methamphetamine-treatment-programme-actually-work/premium/YYJLCMZHLZG6LIL5BO5LX53YDI - Read time: 2 min - Topics: mongrel mob, methamphetamine, kahukura, treatment program, proceeds of crime, hawke's bay, police minister, christopher luxon, dame jacinda ardern, hard 2 reach, harry tam, te pāti māori ## Mongrel Mob Meth Program Mongrel Mob ran a $2.75 million methamphetamine treatment program for 80 participants from mid-2021 to mid-2024. > Mongrel Mob ran a $2.75 million methamphetamine treatment program for 80 participants from mid-2021 to mid-2024. ## Program Structure Each intake had an eight-week live-in program at Tapairu Marae in Waipawa, followed by two weeks of reintegration and six weeks of wraparound support. > Each intake had an eight-week live-in program at the Tapairu Marae in Waipawa, followed by two weeks of reintegration and six weeks of wraparound support. ## Participant Outcomes Many participants reported staying meth-free three months after program completion with improved wellbeing and whānau relationships. > Many participants reported staying meth-free three months after program completion with improved wellbeing and whānau relationships. ## Mongrel Mob Leadership Harry Tam, a Mongrel Mob honorary life member, ran Hard 2 Reach, the consultancy managing the program with clinical experts. > Harry Tam, a Mongrel Mob honorary life member, ran Hard 2 Reach, the consultancy managing the program with clinical experts. ## Funding Cut Police Minister Mark Mitchell cut funding for Kahukura in 2024, citing concerns about using gang assets for drug rehabilitation. > Police Minister Mark Mitchell cut funding for Kahukura in 2024, citing concerns about using gang assets for drug rehabilitation. ## Community Impact The program built relationships with Police, Corrections, and Ministry of Social Development to improve access to support services. > The program built relationships with Police, Corrections, and MSD to start to break down barriers, build understanding on both sides, support compliance and facilitate access to support. ## Challenges Participants faced issues like unstable housing, high mental health needs, and contraband smuggling attempts. > Participants faced issues like unstable housing, high mental health needs, and contraband smuggling attempts. ## Funding Delay A final evaluation report for Kahukura was overdue, with the government expecting it by early 2025 but it remained incomplete. > A final evaluation for the Kahukura programme is more than a year overdue, having initially been expected at the start of 2025. ## Political Response National MP Rima Nakhle proposed a bill to ban public funding for gang-associated organizations, which passed its first reading. > National MP Rima Nakhle has a member’s bill, inherited from her caucus colleague Simeon Brown, that would prevent any public money from going to gang-associated organisations. ## Meth Consumption Methamphetamine consumption reached 1751kg in 2025, the highest annual consumption on record. > Methamphetamine consumption in 2025 was 1751kg, according to wastewater data - the highest ever recorded. ## Program Benefits Participants valued the program's tikanga-based approach and the Mongrel Mob-led environment for accountability and support. > All but one tāne [out of eight graduates] felt it was beneficial talking to others in the group, with benefits including help to understand difficult concepts, a sense of understanding and similarity, the lack of judgment of each other, and being able to open up because of their shared gang background. ## Participant Testimonials Graduates said being with other gang members helped them open up and stay engaged in recovery. > Honestly I wouldn’t want this any other way run by the mongrel mob, a participant in intake one said. ## Mental Health Challenges Many participants had histories of physical, sexual, and mental abuse and intergenerational exclusion from services. > The report for the sixth intake noted the challenges of this part of the community, with many participants having a history of physical, sexual and mental abuse and intergenerational exclusion from health and social services. ## Funding Controversy The program received $2.75 million in Proceeds of Crime funding with sign-off from then-Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern. > The programme received $2.75 million in Proceeds of Crime funding with sign-off from then-Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern, the Ministry of Health, and Hawke’s Bay police. ## Program Completion The program had a high completion rate with many participants finding work in construction, laboring, or vocational training after completion. > Some completed the programme and then found work in construction or labouring, for example, or training - including driver licensing programmes, first aid, or vocational training. ## Next Steps The program faces urgent need for continued support to maintain gains after funding was cut in 2024. > News of the funding being cut was met with 'disappointment', the report for the ninth and final intake said. ## Key takeaway Mongrel Mob's meth addiction program reduced use for many participants but funding was cut in 2024.