We are unable to see the person behind the mask. Police followed the Comancheros "gang run" from Auckland to Waikato, issuing Infringement tickets at a petrol station, and a week later set up a checkpoint to stop a convoy of Killer Beez. [16], Official soundtrack for The Head Hunter was composed by Nick Soole, and was later released on CD and Digital download on April 8, 2019. The trial has been postponed twice, but a judge-alone hearing has been scheduled for October next year. iHeartRadio app. Gangster's Paradise: Inside Head Hunters' luxury overseas trip According to filmmakers Downey and Stewart, the reason for the change was mainly due to lukewarm reactions under the initial name, with the film's distributor, Vertical Entertainment, suggesting a change in the film's title. The gang has made millions out of its crime networks and police say the gang's activities have a "ripple on effect" into the community. Contingents of major Auckland outlaw motorcycle gangs continued to arrive at the church ahead of the funeral. Theres no point in locking up the end user; what they need is help with their addiction. More funding for rehab facilities rather than resorting to incarceration would be a start, but the idea of spending hundreds of millions of taxpayers dollars on better-resourced rehabilitation centres and counselling is unlikely to be a vote-winner for politicians.. At the inquest into the death of the 28-year-old, his father Raymond Bliss told the coroner that witnesses were scared. Over that time, investigators from the Ministry of Social Development allege Doyle claimed $380,000 in social welfare payments he was not entitled to. The huge motorbike procession of Head Hunters and other gang members accompanying the casket arrived at the Mngere Lawn Cemetery in south Auckland shortly after 1.30pm. [8], The Head Hunter first premiered at the Sitges Film Festival on October 6, 2018 as a part of the festival's "Panorama Fantstic" section. Attribute to Detective Inspector Kevin McNaughton, NZ Police: A Police operation focusing on an ongoing series of incidents involving individuals from the Mongols and Head Hunters gangs has recently concluded, with a total of 19 people facing charges before the courts. The judge said there also seemed to be a discrepancy of $2.4m between the trust's declared income and funds deposited into the bank account. How to get help for family violence (domestic violence) and learn about Protection Orders and Police Safety Orders. [8], Rygh, who had previously starred in the Norwegian short film Ulfberht,[10] was described by Downey as being easy to work with, and never once complained on set. Three firearms were also located and seized as part of the operation, including a prohibited semi-automatic rifle and a sawn-off shotgun, as well a significant quantity of ammunition and improvised explosive devices. A further six associates of the Head Hunters gang were charged with accessory after the fact in relation to allegedly assisting an offender involved in the Sofitel shooting to escape Police. Audio. "He was a lot more level-headed and reasonable when I was dealing with him," said Stokes. A High Court judge has ruled there is evidence trusts and companies associated with the Head Hunters' president that have been involved in money laundering. Bikes confiscated, police infringements issued as Head Hunters Find out about interesting roles where you can make a difference. MP says the caravan serves as constant reminder of what people have to put up with. He confirmed the gang's plans - but said the motley crew of career criminals would travel on a bus and not wear their patches. "He was always straight up and down with me." [1], Construction of the film's props and various monsters in the film commenced before the script was completed, with the filmmakers experimenting with the designs and techniques that would be implemented on a low budget. Richardson received a share of the proceeds from some of his associates sales. Seems unfathomable, doesnt it? New Zealand Police. Police said the have a number of ongoing enquiries and CCTV footage in relation to today's events. A gang member's position on the board of a charitable trust helping rehabilitate prisoners biased the decision to deregister it, the High Court has been told. "Police monitoring a large funeral procession in Auckland have cordoned off a section of road in Grey Lynn as a precaution to ensure the safety of members of the public in the area," said Inspector Jacqui Whittaker. He humanises the victims as well as those behind the crimes. "Dave was one of the powers behind the Head Hunters, no doubt about that," said Cam Stokes, a former head of the police motorcycle gang unit in Auckland. Second AstraZeneca dose 'absolutely critical' despite new advice, "Police are continuing to monitor the situation to ensure the procession is carried out in a safe manner for all road users.". [1] With this scene in mind, the filmmakers then developed a forty-page script, which contained very little dialogue,[6] describing it as a medieval horror film. Subscribe to receive news, alerts, Ten One Magazine stories, advice of stolen boats, and safety advice by email or RSS feed. [7], Principal photography began in Bragana, Portugal,[7][8][1] while additional scenes were shot in Norway, and Mammoth Lakes, California. In his new book, Gangland, investigative reporter Jared Savage explores the country's growing underbelly of organised crime and violent gangs, paying particular attention to the constantly-growing. "The gangs were seen as controlling the methamphetamine market and getting stronger," said Chris Cahill, president of the Police Association. Get more of the radio, music and podcasts you love with the FREE Police previously said they would be "actively monitoring" the procession, and a large presence of patched gang members was expected. The motorcycle run is part of celebrations this weekend, understood to involve hundreds of Head Hunters, marking the chapter's 20th anniversary. To others, he was a powerful and feared underworld figure who beat a murder charge, then took charge of the notorious motorcycle gang. "We want to reassure the community that we don't tolerate offending on our roads," James said. Cordons were earlier put in place on Crummer Road and Coleridge Street. [12] Connor Morris - Member, Head Hunters East. Savage gives enormous credit to the forces pushing back against the drug networks. I know, for example, that if I go to the SkyCity Casinos VIP lounge I might mingle with the networks of Asian organised crime. He also received a share of any drug debt money collected by his associates. Fuimaono, 43, was facing drugs charges when he was arrested. [18] The soundtrack was a later played as a part of an official selection of Soole's works during the 2019 San Diego Comic Con's "Sounds of Horror" Panel on July 19, 2019. On the back of those investigations, the police have restrained about $10 million worth of property linked to Wayne Doyle, who has not been convicted of any crimes since his release from prison 20 years ago. Two years later, Smith took over as president when Wayne Doyle was sent to jail. "Further there is evidence from two recentdrug investigationsconducted by the police that payments were made to the Head Hunters East Chapter, to senior patched members of that chapter, and in the case of one to Mr Doyle directly and/or the other interests associated with him," Justice Venning said. Then she got suspicious of Zhang Hui cheating on her with Lulu Zhang and turned on him by assisting the police with his arrest. Savage shows that there are some, however, who cant be helped, who dont want help, or dont feel deserving of it. Savage opens with William Wallace in 1996, New Zealands own Walter White: after 20 years of loyalty to Air New Zealand as an industrial chemist he was made redundant and pivoted to invent New Zealands very first clandestine meth lab. Gangland: a book about meth and the people whose lives it touches Nearly $20 million flowed into bank accounts linked. High Alert website proving its worth in preventing harm from drugs, Back to basics in the outdoors this winter, Ko te iwi Mori me Ng Pirihimana e ngunguru nei, /* prefer image alt text over title as title field used for caption and can be quite long (REF-483) */ ?> Taylor has told RNZ that if I hadnt ended up in that Epuni Boys Home I would never have interacted with the criminal justice system., So whats next? The Head Hunters are a motorcycle gang that formed in 1967, moved to West Auckland in 1978. View corporate publications, forms, guides and standards, general reports and research as well as crime statistics. [7] For the titular character, the filmmakers wanted the role to look and feel authentic, refusing to cast an American actor in the role as they felt that it would not be appropriate for the time period and feared that it would end up 'looking fake'. [25], Jonathan Barkan from Dread Central rated the film four out of five stars, writing, "The Head is a testament to independent filmmaking. He was the gangs most senior figure based in Christchurch. "[23] Janel Spiegel from HorrorNews.net praised the film's atmosphere, cinematography, as well as the film's suspense, originality, and Rygh's performance. [6] Initially, the film's story was not immediately forthcoming, as Downey later recalled, "We didn't have the idea first, we just had this drive to make a movie [] So we just sat down, to see if we could come up with something that we could shoot for a low budget. Roads were closed to protect the public on Friday as hundreds of members of numerous gangs descended for the funeral in Auckland for Taranaki Fuimaono. Why would a private company want a prisoner to get even a whiff of education or reform when theres profit to be made from letting him reoffend instead. Norwegian actor Christopher Rygh was cast as the leading role, in his feature-film debut, after filmmakers discovered him while searching a casting website. Dave Smith died in 2010, aged 53, after suffering for many years from a stroke. As Jarrod Gilbert explains in his 2016 book Patched: The History of Gangs in New Zealand, the Mongrel Mob committed "some of the most notorious crimes of physical and sexual violence in modern. Both are used to manufacture meth. Police have made no arrests after a day of massive gang funeral processions across Auckland in New Zealand to farewell a Head Hunter who died in custody. The series of incidents are believed to have commenced around April 5th 2021 and involved a number of serious matters involving arsons and drive-by shootings at properties associated with those gangs. Patched members of the West Auckland-based chapter of the Head Hunters - of which Smith was a former president and member for 30 years - were among mourners at his funeral at Piki Te Aroha marae in Northland. As Savage notes, that a chapter of Australias most dangerous motorcycle gang would establish itself in New Zealand was inevitable. Earlier, police in an unmarked car could be seen taking photos of gang members gathered outside the pad. These cases are determined by the civil level of proof, the "balance of probabilities", rather than the much higher criminal evidential threshold of "beyond reasonable doubt". Frustrated emails from Kawerau constable to Police Commissioner Mike Bush led to downfall of Mo Video of gang's botched $1m drug deal that brought down Comancheros leader - NZ Herald, Auckland Airport meth bust: Air New Zealand baggage handlers charged - NZ Herald. "There doesn't seem to be many days go by when you don't hear about shots being fired," Police Association Chris Cahill said earlier this week. An investigation team involving a number staff from across Tamaki Makaurau, Northland and the National Organised Crime Group, has been working tirelessly over the last two months to identify all individuals involved in these series of incidents and hold them to account. View user-friendly graphics that provide an overview of key Police data. Northland cops arrest six after Head Hunters, Black Power shootings - Stuff Audio, A High Court judge says there is evidence suggesting trusts and companies associated with the president of the Head Hunters gang have been involved in money laundering. Mongrel Mob - Wikipedia Around a dozen police officers in eight patrol cars set up checkpoints east and west of the East chapter's Marua Rd pad in Mt Wellington, and on the adjacent Burt/Rutland roads intersection as around 50 patched gang members left on motorcycles about 11am. (Amended May 24, 2021,1.34pm). "Police are committed to ensuring that people can not accrue wealth and assets as a result of criminal behaviour, at the expense of the safety of our community," said Detective Superintendent Iain Chapman at the time of the raids on Doyle. Featured and latest news, stories, alerts and more. The film's main antagonist, referred at the end credits as "The Head", was designed Troy Smith, who had previously worked with Downey in both his Thankskilling series and Critters: Bounty Hunter. The judge said there also seemed to be a discrepancy of $2.4m between the trust's declared income and funds deposited into the bank account. While the film was screened at Sitges, and Nightmares Film Festival under the title The Head, but the title was later changed to The Head Hunter due to lukewarm reactions. As part of the police case, an investigation by the Ministry of Social Development alleges Doyle received $380,000 in social welfare payments over 23 years he was not entitled to. Our values reflect what is important to us and the communities we serve. "The gangs were seen as controlling the methamphetamine market and getting stronger," said Chris Cahill, president of the Police Association. The answer is left up to you, the reader. This has been a deliberate nationwide strategy to tackle the gang, which has aggressively expanded in numbers and geographic locations in recent years. Audio. Why would a private company want a prisoner to get even a whiff of education or reform when theres profit to be made from letting him reoffend instead? At 10.20am, a significant number of patched Hells Angels, allied to the Head Hunters, arrived at the funeral home on their mostly Harley Davidson bikes. Police said earlier they blocked Great North Road for public safety. Find out the various ways you can contact NZ Police. Mike's Minute: Why aren't people flocking to New Zealand? The Charities Registration Board did not believe the trust was fulfilling its charitable purpose of rehabilitating prisoners, but agreed to reconsider the decision after an appeal to the High Court in April. "Police are committed to ensuring that people can not accrue wealth and assets as a result of criminal behaviour, at the expense of the safety of our community," said Detective Superintendent Iain Chapman at the time of the raids on Doyle. "There has definitely been [a targeted] attack on the Head Hunters. Auto news:2022 Maserati SUV lineup due by the end of the year - drive.com.au, Your web browser is no longer supported. "Any unsafe, intimidating, or dangerous behaviour throughout the event/s will be followed up by police and appropriate action taken.". Doing so wasnt easy. [6] At the retreat, the filmmakers had envisioned a scene in which a lone warrior carrying a severed head inside a sack, stumbling into a room filled with heads mounted on the walls. Gangland has the kind of title Ive spent six years avoiding. Soon after making a grave for his companion and visiting his daughters grave, another bounty is posted. [8][6] Downey later described the armor as 'being more Leatherface-esque, rather than a Game of Thrones-style vibe', with faces and skin appearing stitched into the entire outfit. ", "Medieval Horror Film The Head Hunter Is like Predator Meets Skyrim", "The Head Hunter (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)", "The Head Hunter (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Nick Soole", "San Diego Comic-Con 2019 Panel 'Sounds of Horror', "Comic-Con 2019: Sounds of Horror: Inside Hollywood's Most Terrifying Film Scores", "VOD reviews: 'The Haunting of Sharon Tate' is sleazy exploitation, but 'The Wind' is one to see", "Sitges 2018: The Head Review - Skyrim Goes Horror", "In The Head Hunter, Sword-and-Sorcery Meets Sam Raimi", "The Head Hunter review: imagine a live-action Skyrim-like horror movie", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Head_Hunter_(2018_film)&oldid=1150946418, Short description is different from Wikidata, Album articles lacking alt text for covers, Rotten Tomatoes template using name parameter, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Christopher Rygh as Father (The Head Hunter), a lone, Cora Kaufman as Daughter, Father's child, who was brutally murdered by a mysterious and deadly creature, Aisha Ricketts as The Head (voice), a deadly creature responsible for the brutal murder of the Head Hunter's child, This page was last edited on 20 April 2023, at 23:52. The Charities Registration Board did not believe the trust was fulfilling its charitable purpose of rehabilitating prisoners, but agreed to reconsider the decision after an appeal to the High Court in April. Downey later recalled, there was no formal audition for the role, with the filmmakers casting Rygh after having a conversation with the actor in regards to the role. Nearly $20m banked by entities linked to Head Hunters president Wayne On the basis of the so-far uncontested evidence, Justice Venning was satisfied there was reasonable grounds to believe the properties linked to Doyle were acquired by fraud, criminal dishonesty, money laundering and other significant criminal activity. Police kept a low profile, managing traffic in Great North Road as the outlaws blocked the street once the coffin was removed from the church and into a hearse. Most of his time is spent repairing his armor, setting traps for animals, visiting his daughter's grave, and using the blood and organs of monsters to create a healing potion that heals wounds almost instantly. Several Auckland detectives were seen around the edge of the crowd. A motorcycle gang linked with drug trafficking and other illicit activities. But Savage has given me a comprehensive education on meth. David James Dunn - President. MP says the caravan serves as constant reminder of what people have to put up with. Although I shouldnt imagine it was at the top of Savages book proposal, I am grateful to him for shining a light on this kind of life. A violent brawl has erupted between rival gang members while mourners gathered to farewell a child in New Zealand.. Members of warring gangs Black Power and the Head Hunters were caught on camera . An overview of our responsibilities and Values, plus links to key publications. This properties were restrained under the Criminal Proceeds Recovery Act which essentially forces someone to prove how an asset was paid for. Gang funeral: Politicians infuriated as hundreds of mobsters descend on Whats perhaps even more interesting than the criminals are the covert operations. Millie Elder-Holmes' partner Connor Morris was a member of the gang, his father was a senior member of the gang, Chris "One-Eye" Morris. [7] Shooting occasionally proved challenging, as the costumes, and props had to be shot in a certain way in order to "look right on camera", and crew members, including Downey, performing multiple roles during production. Head Hunters MC (Motorcycle Club) - One Percenter Bikers They hadnt had access to education. One tit-for-tat feud with the Mongols, for example, led a member of the Head Hunters to open fire in the lobby of a five-star hotel on Auckland's waterfront. It may feature just one or two fight scenes, no cackling wizards or captive princesses, but it manages to evoke that spirit while also telling a straightforward horror story. Police have seized drugs, cash and vehicles in a major operation this morning which targeted a Head Hunters methamphetamine supply network. Discovering what transpired, The Father prepares to hunt down the revived creature as it searches for a new body. Justice Jan-Marie Doogue said as a senior gang member, Richardsons sentence would receive a higher starting point than other members. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Audio, The Weekend Panel with Penny Ashton and Tim Watkin, Lifting the lid on the rise and rise of organised crime in NZ, Head Hunters gang headquarters sprayed with bullets, Head Hunters gang leader linked to money laundering, Court ruling links gang boss' trust to money laundering, VTNZ employee gave people's personal information to gang member, Trust established by Head Hunters fights for charity status, Head Hunters gang members sentenced for P ring, Head Hunters focus of major raid in Wellington, Police seize digger, cash, drugs & melted jewellery in raid. [15] It received a limited theatrical release on April 5, 2019. The Eagle police helicopter also circled above but the gang members weren't stopped as they headed east on Marua Rd bound for, according to sources, Puhoi, north of Auckland. But theres so much clarity in the reporting that the only reason youd read this book twice is to get your head around the extremity of what you just read. The gang recently won an appeal in an ongoing legal battle after the trust was deregistered as a charity. Lock them up alongside well-connected criminals? The Head Hunter first premiered at the Sitges Film Festival on October 6, 2018, as a part of the festival's "Panorama Fantstic" section. These properties were restrained under the Criminal Proceeds Recovery Act which essentially forces someone to prove how an asset was paid for. As nightfall arrives, the Father begins a game of wits against the creature, with it digging up the daughters grave and attaching its head to her corpse. A slew of police officers were called to the Head Hunters MC gang headquarters in Auckland after shots were fired overnight on Sunday. Operation Coin was the latest in a string of investigations into the Head Hunters across New Zealand over the last three years. Join a team who are passionate about transforming arms safety and control in Aotearoa. The film centers on the title character, who works as a bounty hunter for a local kingdom, all the while he awaits the eventual return of the creature responsible for the murder of his daughter. But there was a dark side to Smith, as he made a name for himself on the way to the top of the criminal hierarchy. The Head Hunters Motorcycle Club are an outlaw motorcycle club in New Zealand. The initial concept for the film later came about during a writer's retreat, in which the filmmakers had assembled and hosted at Stewart's family home in Soutelo Mourisco, a small village in Northern Portugal. Over time, I learned that at the core was usually childhood abuse, years of trauma, and subsequent profound alienation. Downey and Stewart were originally against the name change, but later embraced it as they felt the current title shifted the focus from the antagonist to the main character. Five properties across Auckland, including the gang's Marua Rd headquarters, have been frozen since September 2017 when the High Court granted restraining orders after a police investigation, Operation Coin, into his financial affairs. Perhaps, I realised, I had tried too hard to compartmentalise the crimes from the men I worked with, in order to see them as human. They were joined by hundreds of mourners from other patched gangs including the Rebels, King Cobras, Hells Angels, Killer Beez, Mongrel Mob and Two Eight Brotherhood, among others. [1] In order to combat the film's low budget, the variety of creatures that appear throughout the film are only shown in glimpses or merely implied,[6] the film's low budget also limited the amount of production crew the filmmakers could hire, which, according to Stewart, only consisted of three other people, including himself and Downey. I was told he was letting other Mongrels know there was fresh meat on the units. His lover Penny, also his drug-pawn and the manager of his genuine yum cha business, sold parcels of pseudoephedrine disguised as takeaway meals wrapped in newspaper. Police have impounded several bikes, seized vehicle plates and issued around 100 infringement notices in a .