Head Hunters’ new pad revealed: Gang buys North Shore industrial property

They’re the cashed-up new chapter of one of Auckland’s oldest patched gangs.

And now the freshly minted North Shore chapter of the Head Hunters has snagged a piece of industrial Wairau
Valley to set up a permanent base.

The upstart chapter, officially formed last year, has set up a new pad in Target Rd in a two-story leasehold unit tucked behind several other businesses near the Wairau Rd intersection.

Police say they’ve already responded to several incidents at the new pad and have made two arrests at the premises.

Property records show the unit was purchased in August last year by a holding company incorporated days before the transaction went through.

The Herald understands the purchase price was in the order of $700,000 and there is no evidence a mortgage was taken out on the leasehold property.

Late last year, the new North Shore chapter celebrated their official inauguration with a party at their pad, freshly redecorated with images of the Gang’s patch and a logo showing the Harbour Bridge.

The North Shore offshoot is the gang’s first new chapter in more than 20 years.

Its members previously formed the Northside crew inside the Head Hunter’s dominant East chapter, but the addition of the “North Shore” rocker to their patches in lieu of the “East” label represents a power shift within the gang.

The chapter’s leader is an influential senior Head Hunter who, along with his inner circle, lives a lavish lifestyle.

He and other young North Shore members are prominent on social media and are known to drive luxury vehicles including Range Rovers and Audis and ride high-end new Harley Davidson motorcycles.

They travel business class and last year the leader and his crew enjoyed a round-the-world holiday.

They shot military weapons at a range in Cambodia, stayed in luxury accommodation and took in sights including the Egyptian pyramids, the Louvre and the Colosseum.

Their high-end vehicles and Harleys are now a frequent presence outside the Glenfield unit. Its neighbours include several automotive businesses and and a Korean Presbyterian church.

The immediate neighbours of the pad declined to comment when approached by the Herald.

It’s understood there is concern in the wider area as to the effect the pad will have on property prices and parking. Police have made several visits.

Inspector Todd Moore-Carter said they were aware of the new pad.

“We have responded to several incidents at a Head Hunters-related address in Wairau Valley, and made two arrests there in December last year for outstanding warrants,” Moore-Carter said.

He urged anyone concerned about their safety or who witnessed illegal activity to contact police.

The establishment of the new chapter came after the conclusion of a High Court hearing to decide whether the Head Hunters East chapter pad in Ellerslie, along with several other properties linked to Wayne Doyle, the gang’s alleged boss, will be confiscated.

The police sought forfeiture applications covering more than $15 million of Doyle’s alleged profit and assets they claim are tainted with the proceeds of the criminal activities committed by the Head Hunters, from stand-overs to meth dealing.

Justice Peter Andrew is yet to release his decision.

The legislation used by the police to target the East chapter pad – The Criminal Proceeds Recovery Act – does not require a criminal conviction.

Police only have to prove an asset is even partially tainted with the proceeds of crime, and have the benefit of a lower threshold of proof used in civil cases “on the balance of probabilities” rather than the “beyond reasonable doubt” that applies in the criminal jurisdiction.

The Head Hunters started in the east Auckland suburb of Glen Innes around 1967, but moved across town to West Auckland by 1984 to open their inaugural clubrooms in Henderson.

In the early 2000s, the gang effectively split into three: West, which stayed in the Henderson premises, East, which was set up in Marua Rd in Ellerslie, and North, which was based in Wellsford.

Over the next two decades, the gang’s strength in numbers grew from several dozen patched members to several hundred – to become the third largest gang in New Zealand – as the Head Hunters expanded across the country.

George Block is an Auckland-based reporter with a focus on police, the courts, prisons and defence. He joined the Herald in 2022 and has previously worked at Stuff in Auckland and the Otago Daily Times in Dunedin.