Story: Gangs

White power gangs (1st of 2)

White power gangs

A Christchurch United National Front Nazi Party skinhead and his girlfriend drink beer in 1990. White supremacists at the time wore high lace-up boots and shaved their heads, and were often referred to as 'boot boys' or 'skinheads'. Confusingly, not all skinheads were racists. In the early 1990s there were small skinhead groups in many New Zealand cities and provincial towns, but many were attracted to this scene by punk music, and a desire to be noticed, without having any affiliation with white supremacist organisations. White supremacists often use swastikas, as do many gangs regardless of their ethnicity – the symbol's prime value is to shock.

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Photograph by Peter James Quinn

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How to cite this page:

Greg Newbold and Rāwiri Taonui, 'Gangs - Motorcycle and white supremacist gangs', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/28244/white-power-gangs (accessed 19 March 2024)

Story by Greg Newbold and Rāwiri Taonui, published 5 May 2011, reviewed & revised 2 Oct 2018, updated 1 Apr 2020 with assistance from Jarrod Gilbert