Wellington gang funeral procession: Mongrel Mob’s Anaru ‘Fats’ Moke remembered as ‘sweet guy’

“I have been fortunate to see firsthand the benefits of Fats’ work along with others in our community, especially his work with rangatahi. Our thoughts are with his whānau at this sad time.”

Petone Rugby League Football club posted on Facebook that they had lost a big brother, uncle, friend and biggest supporter.

“Sending all our love and condolences to our Moke/Tamaka whānau.”

Following his death last week, many tributes were paid to him online.

“Everyone is here to love and support the family and to pay respect to our brother, the fat dog,” one message said.

“You were so loved,” said another.

Former Hutt City Mayor Ray Wallace said he had a lot to do with Moke over the years.

“He was great. He had a wicked sense of humor, but he was easy to get along with.

“When we went to events, he had a lot of respect for the elderly. He had a colorful past, and he knew it, and everyone else knew it, but he was still a likeable guy.

Moke wanted to give young people the best opportunities in life and was involved in a lot of community work, Wallace said.

“I saw that and that’s why I supported him.”

Ray said he and Moke had a health kick together when renowned doctor and Kiwi physical and mental health campaigner Dr Tom Mulholland visited the Hutt Valley.

The doctor, affectionately known as Dr. Tom, helped hundreds of thousands of people around the world.

“He came to the Hutt and talked about diabetes and improving men’s health,” Wallace said.

“So we were part of that little program together.”

Mulholland helped Moke diagnose his type 2 diabetes and met with him regularly for doctor appointments and healthy shopping trips.

Moke lost his father to diabetes and told Mulholland in a 2016 video that he wanted to be there to see his grandchildren turn 21.

“I want my mokos to grow up with me. I didn’t have that option with my grandparents, great-grandparents or even parents. But I want to be that man. I want to be there for them.”

Wallace understood that Moke had his diabetes under control, so his death had been a bit of a shock.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he was pleased the tangi in Wellington was under control today and praised the way police had handled recent similar gang funeral processions.

Luxon said legislation banning gang patches in public would come into effect from November 21.

“My message to the gang members is that you can’t just demand the rights of being a Kiwi and the freedoms of being a Kiwi.

“You have to have the responsibilities and duties that you have as a Kiwi, to each other in this country and to the country as a whole.”

When asked if he was interested in banning Nazi language and symbols, Luxon said the government was open to that conversation.

RNZ reported Today they had heard gang members banging on cars and barking.

Police Minister Mark Mitchell told RNZ he was not surprised by the behavior because “the Mongrel Mob are idiots”.

“This is how they behave, they are antisocial and they think they’re above the law and they think they’re in charge and that’s why we’ve been very tough on the gangs.”

Police had the resources they needed to manage the tangi, Mitchell said.

“The gangs need to understand that that’s what they are no longer running through the streets.”

Georgina Campbell is a Wellington-based reporter with a particular interest in local government, transport and seismic issues. She joined the Herald in 2019 after working as a radio journalist.