I'm glad I waited to comment on the difficult case of Ngapari Nui. The patched Black Power gang member who has been doing volunteer work at Whanganui Prison for nearly 6 years now. Because it was easy to launch into full bluster mode when it broke. A Black Power guy working in prison. Shameful.

His case blew up on Tuesday when Sensible Sentencing Trust discovered his past and blew the whistle to Corrections Minister Judith Collins. The Minister came out with all guns blazing saying this was unacceptable, stood Ngapari down and launched a review to find any similar situations.

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Ngapari is a gang lifer. He freely admits that his younger life was less than exemplary. He says he disclosed his gang affiliations from day 1. Corrections boss Ray Smith confirmed that but said he only revealed he was patched recently. Isn’t that just an argument of semantics?

Affiliated or patched is all the same to me. Particularly when Ngapari seems to be a kindly old granddad with no recent record who doesn't wear the patch day to day. Ngapari got his patch a very long time ago and his actions renounce what we perceive a patched member to be.

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Corrections have no concerns about his work in Whanganui Prison and his local community rave about him. He talks to gang members about his journey toward lawfulness and it has an added cachet because he had the patch, which, whether you like it or not, gives mana in a gang community. But as Corrections and Labour's Kelvin Davis say, there is a perceived conflict of interest of a gang member going into jail to talk with their gang members doing time.

Yesterday Ray Smith sent a representative to Whanganui to talk to Ngapari about the whole thing and it appears he had nothing to say, resulting in Ngapari's supporters demanding an apology. So the whole thing is a complicated mess.

Firstly the way Sensible Sentencing went straight to the media talking a tough talk seems like a bit of a pose. Good for branding and fundraising.

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Secondly Judith Collins statements was the Minister in full “Crusher Collins” mode. Tough talking. It smacks of branding too, particularly with an election next year and Crusher back as a senior National Party member after her embarrassing demotion to the back benches for playing fast and loose with cabinet rules.

While Ngapari seems like a gentle man making up for a misspent youth, maybe this is a brilliant act hiding a secret role in gang business but that just seems doubtful.

And finally Corrections seemed more than happy to have Ngapari until Sensible Sentencing started stirring and are now covering their butts before the Minister. That's not very honourable.

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My feeling is if they don't want Ngapari now then the best thing they could do is finally declare Black Power a criminal organisation. Something Michael Laws tried to do in Whanganui and hit a brick wall. Then Crusher could say she's walking a tough talk.

But until then there's a principle of freedom of association that’s being trampled on and freedom must be protected.